Substitute Dimitrios Kourbelis propelled Greece to a surprise 1-0 Nations League victory away to Germany on Sunday. The result left Jurgen Klopp still searching for his first win since taking charge of the German national team. In a tactical move, the former Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund manager had made five adjustments to the squad following Thursday’s 1-1 draw with the Netherlands to evaluate his depth. 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 a dominant share of possession and a strong debut from midfielder Bambase Conte, Germany struggled to threaten goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis. Kourbelis ultimately decided the match in Augsburg with a deflected second-half strike. Reflecting on the result, Klopp told ARD that he remained unbothered by the loss, emphasizing that the team requires these challenging fixtures as part of their development. 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.”.
Separately, Ireland faced Israel in a match held in Debrecen, Hungary, under significant domestic pressure for the Irish squad to boycott the event due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The fixture proceeded only after the players held a vote during the week. In a clear display of solidarity, the Irish team wore black armbands and elected to bypass the traditional pre-match handshakes and pennant exchanges with their Israeli opponents. The teams skipped the traditional pre-match handshakes and did not exchange pennants either in a near-empty stadium in Debrecen.
While the Irish side bowed their heads during the Israeli national anthem, their on-field performance resulted in a 3-0 victory. Troy Parrott opened the scoring in the 14th minute, celebrating with a heart gesture, while Jack Moylan added a third goal 25 minutes into the game, subsequently kissing his badge and black armband. Following the match, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar criticized the Irish players’ conduct, asserting they were on the wrong side of history. 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 achieved a 2-1 win over Norway. Coach Jorge Jesus opted to bench 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo—marking his first time as an unused substitute since a September 2024 match against Scotland—and brought in Goncalo Ramos. While Joao Felix opened the scoring, Norway’s Erling Haaland equalized early in the second half before a defensive error by Orjan Nyland allowed Ramos to seal the win. Ramos later expressed that his focus was entirely on contributing effectively whenever 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. “It was a demonstration of my work, of what I can offer the team — not just goals, but everything I do on the pitch.”.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands secured their first victory under head coach Xavi Hernandez, defeating Serbia 2-1 in Belgrade. Following the side’s disappointing exit at the hands of Morocco in the World Cup last-32, Xavi oversaw a resilient performance. Mexx Meerdink opened the scoring from a penalty before Serbia equalized through Luka Jovic. Meerdink restored the Dutch lead in the 69th minute, latching onto a pass from Guus Til to fire home the winner.
In other Nations League action, Denmark recovered from their previous defeat to Norway by securing a 2-0 win over Wales in Copenhagen. In League B, Austria maintained their perfect start with a 3-1 victory over Kosovo in Vienna, featuring goals from David Affengruber, Junior Adamu, and Carney Chukwuemeka.
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