Germany’s lead against the Netherlands is causing quite a stir. Oranje captain Virgil van Dijk calls it a „disgrace“—Kimmich responds.
The German national team’s first appearance under Jürgen Klopp immediately sparked a major controversy. In the 1-1 draw against the Netherlands, Felix Nmecha’s opening goal for Germany, in particular, sparked heated debate.
The incident occurred in the 32nd minute. Oranje forward Brian Brobbey was sitting on the field after sustaining an injury that appeared to have occurred without any contact from an opponent. The Dutch players expected Germany to kick the ball out of bounds. But Joshua Kimmich kept the play going.
The DFB team’s captain found Philipp Treu on the right flank, thereby launching the attack that culminated shortly afterward in Nmecha’s 1-0 goal. Players from both teams clashed even as they celebrated the goal.
Even after the final whistle, the matter was far from over for the Dutch. Oranje captain Virgil van Dijk even called the goal a “disgrace.”
Kimmich Defends the Decision Leading Up to the 1-0 Goal
Kimmich rejected the accusation. In his view, it wasn’t the German players’ responsibility to interrupt the game on their own initiative.
“I played a pass to Philipp, he crossed it—and we scored a goal,” explained the Bayern star, adding: “The referee stops the game, especially when a player has a head injury. It’s the referee’s job to determine whether the player is seriously injured.”
The 31-year-old received support from Klopp. The new German national team coach also couldn’t understand the harsh criticism from his former Liverpool captain, van Dijk.
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“It certainly wasn’t a disgrace,” Klopp emphasized at the press conference: “The goal is completely legitimate. I don’t have a guilty conscience. And I would have one if it weren’t legitimate. I would have accepted it anyway, but I’d have a guilty conscience. I don’t have that.”
Klopp also made it clear that even in a reversed situation, he would have expected his team to keep playing. If the Germans had conceded a goal that way, “I would have told my players, ‘You have to keep playing.’”
In the end, the discussion did not change the ruling on the goal. Nmecha’s goal stood, but Germany still narrowly missed out on a win in Klopp’s debut. Cody Gakpo scored the 1-1 equalizer in stoppage time.