Jürgen Klopp got his first win as Germany manager with a comfortable two-nil victory over Serbia in their UEFA Nations League encounter in Munich.
Florian Wirtz produced a stunning performance and was involved in both goals to help Germany to a crucial victory.
Klopp had started his tenure as Germany manager with a draw in their Group A2 opening match against the Netherlands before stumbling to a shock defeat against Greece. Klopp named a new-look team for his third match in charge of the national team after calling a 44-man squad for the international break.
Tom Bischof gave Germany an early lead before Florian Wirtz struck just past the hour mark to seal the three points for the hosts in Klopp’s maiden win. The hosts delivered a dominant performance.
FLORIAN WIRTZ STARS FOR GERMANY
The game got off to a flying start for Germany, and they established their attacking intent early on. Aleksandar Pavlovic dragged a shot wide early on before Nick Woltemade failed to find the net with his header from close range. Serbia had Djordje Petrovic to thank for pulling out incredible saves that denied Serge Gnabry and Wirtz. Serbia were presented with a golden chance to grab the lead, but Kosta Nedeljkovic failed to connect with the ball. Germany probed for the opener and found the breakthrough.
Bayern Munich midfielder Tom Bischof opened the scoring five minutes before the end of the opening half. Wirtz squeezed out space to shoot before his shot cannoned off the foot of the post to Bischof’s path, who reacted quickly and swept the rebound into the net. The goal was the 21-year-old’s first international goal on his second appearance and at his home stadium. An unforgettable moment! The Germans took a well-deserved lead into the break.
Germany came out firing on all cylinders, and international debutant Said El Mala saw his shot deflected away from goal shortly after his introduction. Germany kept knocking, asking questions of Serbia’s defence, and their persistence eventually paid off as they doubled their lead. Liverpool attacker Wirtz got in the act as the clock stroked past the hour mark. Receiving an incisive pass from Maximilian Mittelstädt following the latter’s darting run down the left, he applied a skilful touch to send the defender reeling and create space for himself before slamming the ball into the net. A superb finish!
The maligned Wirtz has been repeatedly criticised in England, but this was an encouraging performance. His face lit up with smiles, and he performed excellently throughout the match. With stand-in captain Serge Gnabry withdrawn at half-time, Wirtz picked up the captain’s armband and stood up to the huge responsibility. Serbia couldn’t find a way back into the match; Germany held on for the three points and clinched a huge victory.
Celtic midfielder Mika Baur made history after coming on as a substitute for Bischof as he became the 1,000th player to make an appearance for the Germany men’s national team.
KLOPP CELEBRATES VICTORY
Jürgen Klopp, Germany head coach, couldn’t contain his happiness and struggled to put it into words after securing his first victory with the national side, in a statement to UEFA.
“Great. Outstanding. Fantastic! I’m over the moon with the performance, with the way the boys played tonight. A top performance, period, from start to end,” said Klopp.
“We started like maniacs. Counterpressing was through the roof; we were playing football in tight spaces. We could have scored more, but then at half-time I told the boys the next challenge is to keep it up. If you want to be a team in the future who can play for whatever, we have to keep it up, and they did. They kept it up, the intensity and everything. And so a super game.”
Veljko Paunović, Serbia head coach, acknowledged his team’s deficiencies and cited positives to take from the match in a statement to UEFA:
“The experience, definitely, and the level that we have to reach to play against the best teams in the world.”
“We are a team in reconstruction. We still have a long way to go. The Nations League is a good opportunity for us to keep working and building our new team, and obviously there’s a long way to go for us. So congratulations to Germany, and we keep going.”
Germany sit on four points, a point behind second-placed Netherlands and three behind table toppers Greece. Serbia have lost all three matches, having fallen to defeats against Greece and the Netherlands. This is the first time they have lost three consecutive Nations League matches. Germany are next up against Greece, while Serbia turn their attention to the Netherlands.
