Cody Gakpo scored a stoppage-time volley to earn the Netherlands a 1-1 draw against Germany on Thursday, denying Jurgen Klopp a winning start in his first match as Germany head coach.
Klopp’s debut spoiled late on
The former Liverpool manager took charge of Germany in July following their early exit from the World Cup last-32 stage against Paraguay under previous coach Julian Nagelsmann. His side looked set to hand him a perfect start after Felix Nmecha put them ahead in the first half, but Gakpo completed a swift Dutch counter-attack in the closing minutes to level the score in the UEFA Nations League Group A2 opener in Amsterdam.
A positive start for Xavi too
The result also marked a promising opening game for Xavi Hernandez, who took over as Netherlands coach in August after Ronald Koeman stepped down following the Dutch side’s exit at the same stage of the World Cup.
Chances, injuries and a VAR call
Germany were dealt an early blow when Jamal Musiala was ruled out before kick-off with muscle pain, and were then given a scare when Virgil van Dijk headed in from a corner inside the opening 15 minutes. The goal was disallowed after a VAR review adjudged the Dutch captain to have fouled goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Arsenal’s Kai Havertz was forced off injured in the 30th minute, but Germany took the lead two minutes later when Philipp Treu’s cutback set up Nmecha to finish from close range. The Netherlands also lost Sunderland forward Brian Brobbey to what appeared to be a hamstring injury before half-time, while Karim Adeyemi missed a clear chance to double Germany’s lead just before the break.
The hosts pushed for an equaliser after the restart, with Ter Stegen making several key saves to protect Germany’s lead until Gakpo’s late intervention secured a share of the points
