Juergen Klopp celebrated his first victory as the German national team manager on Thursday, overseeing a 2-0 Nations League win against Serbia. Klopp, who overhauled his starting lineup after a previous defeat to Greece, handed international debuts to goalkeeper Jonas Urbig and winger Derry Scherhant. And his side were full value for their victory, there will be relief for Klopp to get a win at the third attempt on his return to coaching.
Germany maintained pressure throughout the contest, finally breaking the deadlock in the 39th minute. Florian Wirtz set up Tom Bischof, who netted his first senior international goal in only his second appearance for the team. Although Nick Woltemade missed a chance to extend the lead, Wirtz secured the result just after the hour mark with a clinical finish from the edge of the penalty area.
Portugal successfully moved past a turbulent week that saw Cristiano Ronaldo depart the squad, a move that cast doubt over his future with the national team. Despite the distraction, Jorge Jesus’ side secured a hard-fought 4-2 victory in Denmark. Joao Cancelo and Goncalo Ramos provided first-half goals, though Denmark responded both times through Mikkel Damsgaard and Rasmus Hojlund. Ultimately, Portugal pulled away with a 67th-minute strike from Vitinha and a late goal from Joao Felix, keeping them top of Group A4 with a flawless nine points from three games.
In other action, the Netherlands staged a second-half comeback to draw 2-2 with Greece. Following first-half goals by Fotis Ioannidis and Giorgios Masouras for the hosts, Virgil van Dijk reduced the deficit before Tijjani Reijnders equalized in the final 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.
Wales captured their first points of the current campaign by defeating 10-man Norway 2-1, with Dan James and Neco Williams finding the net. Meanwhile, League B saw a protest during the Ireland versus Austria match in Dublin, where tennis balls were thrown onto the pitch to oppose Ireland’s previous fixture against Israel.
Play eventually continued in Dublin, but Ireland was forced to settle for a 2-2 draw despite two goals from Troy Parrott. Ireland is now scheduled to face Israel in their next match, which will be held behind closed doors at a neutral venue in Serbia.
