Chelsea midfielder Billy Gilmour tested positive for coronavirus on Monday, dealing a blow to Scotland’s hopes of advancing past the group stages of a major tournament for the first time.
Gilmour picked up the man-of-the-match award in Friday’s 0-0 draw against England at Wembley in his first international start.
But he will miss Tuesday’s clash against Croatia at Hampden with Scotland needing to win to have any chance of progressing to the last 16 of Euro 2020.
“The Scottish FA can confirm that a member of the Scotland National Team playing squad, Billy Gilmour, has tested positive for Covid-19,” the Scottish Football Association said in a statement.
“Having liaised with Public Health England since the positive test was recorded, Billy will now self-isolate for 10 days and therefore miss tomorrow’s Uefa EURO 2020 Group D match against Croatia at Hampden.”
Another Scotland midfielder, John Fleck, was also forced to isolate for 10 days prior to the tournament after testing positive during a training camp in Spain.
The English Football Association confirmed that their 26-man squad and backroom staff all tested negative on Sunday.
Dembele blow
France have lost Ousmane Dembele for the rest of Euro 2020 after X-rays showed the Barcelona winger’s knee injury would not heal in time, the French Football Federation said on Monday.
Dembele, 24, was hurt in the closing minutes of the 1-1 draw against Hungary in Budapest on Saturday after coming on as a substitute. X-rays on Sunday evening showed he would not be back before the end of the Euros.
“The recovery time is incompatible with keeping him in the squad,” the FFF said.
Dembele came off the bench in both France’s matches in the Euros.
He replaced Adrien Rabiot for the final seconds of the opening win over Germany and replaced Rabiot again after 57 minutes in Budapest with France losing and hitting the post with a shot before limping off in the 87th minute.
Under Uefa rules which only allow for goalkeepers to be replaced during the tournament. France cannot call up a stand-in for Dembele, who has 27 caps.
France started with eight attackers in their 26-man squad including Kingsley Coman of Bayern, a similar type of player to Dembele who has yet to play a minute in the Euros.
After moving from Borussia Dortmund for 135 million euros ($160 million) in August 2017, the second highest fee Barcelona have paid for a player, the “Mosquito” struggled with a series of hamstring injuries. This season, he only had one injury break and made 44 club appearances, scoring 11 goals.
Dembele, who was part of France’s World Cup winning squad in Russia in 2018, had a good run up to Euro 2020, scoring in a World Cup qualifier against Kazakhstan in March and against Wales in a friendly at the start of June.
Coach Didier Deschamps has other worries ahead of France’s final group game against holders Portugal in Budapest on Wednesday.
Defender Benjamin Pavard took a knock against Hungary and starting strikers Karim Benzema and Antoine Griezmann as well as Coman and backup defender Lucas Hernandez are nursing injuries.
Germany concerns
Mats Hummels, Thomas Mueller and Ilkay Gundogan missed Germany training on Monday with injury knocks, two days before their crunch match against Hungary at Euro 2020.
The trio all started Saturday’s 4-2 win over Portugal which put the Mannschaft’s European Championship campaign back on track, but Hummels and Mueller are both resting knee injuries, while Gundogan took a blow to the calf.
German daily Bild claim Mueller will miss the Hungary game on Wednesday, but a DFB spokesman denied the report and insisted it was too early to say.
Replacement right-back Lukas Klostermann, who has yet to play a minute of Euro 2020, also sat out Monday’s session at Germany’s camp in Bavaria with a hamstring strain.
The German Football Association (DFB) has not said whether Mueller, Gundogan or Hummels will be fit to start their final Group F match against Hungary in Munich.
Germany, who are second in the group, need a win to be sure of reaching last 16, but a draw could be enough if France do not lose to Portugal in Budapest on Wednesday.
Hungary, who are bottom of the table with a point after Saturday’s 1-1 draw with France, must win to avoid elimination.
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