When one door closes, another one opens. While the story of recent Germany debutant Aleksandar Pavlovic missing out on the only home European Championship he will experience in his playing career because of persistent tonsillitis is utterly heartbreaking, it opened the door for another to join the squad. And when Borussia Dortmund’s captain Emre Can got the call from head coach Julian Nagelsmann to join the squad and replaced the Bayern Munich youngster, one can only imagine the joy he felt upon hearing the news.
But he did a good job summing it up after the 5-1 win after Scotland, in which he not only managed to grab a cameo off the bench but even score the final goal of the game. As captured by @iMiaSanMia, Can had this to say: “Crazy story. Two days ago I was on holiday. I got the call on Wednesday, trained once, came on today and scored. I’m very happy and grateful to Julian and his staff.”
What a moment, what a way to cap off a glorious start to the 2024 EUROs. Let’s hope for even more glory in the coming days.
Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Germany’s massive EURO 2024-opening win over Scotland? Good, because the Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show has you covered! We’ve got takes on Julian Nagelsmann’s lineup, the brilliance of Toni Kroos, Germany’s relentless attack, and why Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala are probably winning over a lot of new fans. You can get the podcast on Spotify or below: