Substitute Dimitrios Kourbelis struck a deflected second-half winner to secure a shock 1-0 Nations League victory for Greece away to Germany in Augsburg on Sunday. The result leaves manager Jurgen Klopp still chasing his first win after taking charge of the German side, having made five changes to the lineup that drew 1-1 with the Netherlands just days earlier. The former Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund boss had made five changes to his team which drew 1-1 with the Netherlands on Thursday as he sought to give more of his players a chance to impress him.
Despite enjoying long spells of possession and an encouraging debut from midfielder Bambase Conte, Germany failed to seriously challenge Greek goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis. Klopp reflected on the setback, telling ARD that he remained unbothered by the result, noting he has experienced many defeats throughout his career. He emphasized that these competitive fixtures are exactly the testing matches his squad currently requires. I’ve lost far more matches in my life than I would have liked,” Klopp told ARD. “We absolutely need these kinds of matches — they are exactly the games we wanted to have.”.
Elsewhere, the Republic of Ireland’s match against Israel in Debrecen, Hungary, was overshadowed by political tension. Following intense internal pressure to boycott the fixture over the war in Gaza, the Irish squad proceeded only after a player vote earlier in the week. The players donned black armbands and bowed their heads during the Israeli anthem, while both teams opted to skip traditional pre-match handshakes and the exchange of pennants.
Ireland secured a 3-0 victory, with Troy Parrott opening the scoring in the 14th minute—marking the goal with a heart sign—before Jack Moylan added the third goal 25 minutes in, kissing his badge and armband in celebration. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar later criticized the Irish team, claiming they were on the “wrong side of history” regarding their public display of solidarity. While Jack Moylan kissed the Irish badge on his jersey and his black armband after netting the third goal 25 minutes in, troy Parrott made a heart sign with his hands after opening the scoring on 14 minutes.
In Oslo, Portugal coach Jorge Jesus chose to bench 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo, who did not feature at all, and saw his replacement Goncalo Ramos net the winning goal in a 2-1 result against Norway. Joao Felix opened the scoring for Portugal in the 17th minute. Although Erling Haaland equalized early in the second half following a string of missed opportunities, goalkeeper Orjan Nyland committed a costly error that allowed Ramos to tap in the decisive goal. Ramos later stated that his focus was simply on demonstrating his value to the team when called upon. “The most important thing is to show what I can do whenever I’m called upon and to contribute to the team,” Ramos told Sport TV, without being drawn on his selection ahead of Ronaldo. And did not get onto the pitch, the 41-year-old Ronaldo was named among the substitutes for the first time for Portugal since a Nations League game against Scotland in September 2024.
The Netherlands secured Xavi Hernandez’s first win as head coach with a 2-1 victory over Serbia in Belgrade. After trailing following a goalmouth scramble involving Luka Jovic, the Dutch responded when Mexx Meerdink converted a first-half penalty and later secured the win in the 69th minute with a clinical left-footed finish assisted by Guus Til. Xavi has been tasked with rebuilding the team after a disappointing World Cup exit. The Oranje turned to Barcelona great Xavi after a disappointing World Cup last-32 exit at the hands of Morocco.
In other action, Denmark defeated Wales 2-0 in Copenhagen to recover from their previous loss to Norway, maintaining a strong historical record against the Welsh. Meanwhile, Austria extended their perfect start in League B by dispatching Kosovo 3-1 in Vienna, with goals from David Affengruber, Junior Adamu, and Carney Chukwuemeka.
