Juergen Klopp successfully registered his first victory as Germany manager on Thursday, overseeing a 2-0 Nations League win against Serbia. The result, coming in his third attempt since taking the helm, saw Germany dominate proceedings with a refreshed lineup. Klopp introduced a completely new starting XI, providing international debuts to goalkeeper Jonas Urbig and winger Derry Scherhant.
Germany’s breakthrough occurred in the 39th minute when Florian Wirtz set up Tom Bischof, who netted his first senior goal in just his second appearance. Although Nick Woltemade later missed a significant opportunity, Wirtz secured the result with a precise finish from the edge of the area shortly after the hour mark.
In other action, Portugal navigated a challenging fixture against Denmark without Cristiano Ronaldo, following his recent departure from the squad. Despite the controversy surrounding his future, Jorge Jesus’ side triumphed 4-2 to maintain a perfect record of nine points from three matches in League A4. Joao Cancelo and Goncalo Ramos scored for Portugal, but the hosts stayed level through goals from Mikkel Damsgaard and Rasmus Hojlund. Ultimately, Vitinha struck in the 67th minute, followed by a late Joao Felix goal to secure the win. Putting his international future into doubt – were made to work for their 4-2 win in Denmark as they top A4 with a perfect nine points from their three games, portugal – playing their first game since Ronaldo walked out on the squad.
The Netherlands staged a comeback to draw 2-2 with Greece, preventing the hosts from securing a third consecutive win. Fotis Ioannidis and Giorgios Masouras had initially put Greece ahead, but Virgil van Dijk reduced the deficit before Tijjani Reijnders equalized in the 89th minute. Greece were close to making it three wins from three but conceded a late equaliser at home to the Netherlands. The visitors kept pushing for the goal and it arrived a minute from the end via Tijjani Reijnders.
In League B, Wales captured their first points of the campaign by defeating 10-man Norway 2-1, with Dan James and Neco Williams finding the net. Meanwhile, a protest involving tennis balls delayed the match between Ireland and Austria in Dublin. Play eventually resumed, ending in a 2-2 draw after a brace from Troy Parrott proved insufficient for victory. Ireland’s next fixture against Israel will be played behind closed doors in neutral Serbia.
