Host Germany and England kicked off the true buildup to the European Championship with their first warmup games on Monday, only after Real Madrid capped the club season by signing Kylian Mbappé.
About 90 minutes after France captain Mbappé finally confirmed he was joining the new Champions League winner, Germany put national team action on midsummer’s center stage in an enterprising 0-0 draw with Ukraine.
England got off to a slow start before a second half surge in a 3-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina, including a national record-extending 63rd goal for Harry Kane, who went on as a substitute.
Croatia, another of the European powers, eased to a 3-0 win over North Macedonia.
All three Euro 2024 contenders were without their Madrid stars — Toni Kroos, Jude Bellingham and Luka Modrić — who are resting this week after their title win on Saturday against Borussia Dortmund.
It was a night for untested lineups to search for some rhythm in their play and debuts given to several emerging talents ahead of rosters being finalized on Friday.
Germany’s 21-year-old forward Maximilian Beier almost scored with his first shot in international soccer, striking the underside of the bar in the 60th minute. It was one of 26 attempts on the Ukraine goal by coach Julian Nagelsmann’s team.
The roster deadline is one week before Germany opens its home tournament against Scotland in Munich on June 14.
Scotland stepped up its preparations with a modest 2-0 win against Gibraltar, which extended its run of losses to 13 games.
Albania, which is in the same Euro 2024 group as Croatia, cruised past Liechtenstein 3-0.
