Jürgen Klopp’s home debut as head coach of the German national team was a complete failure. On the second matchday of the Nations League, the German national team suffered a 0–1 loss to Greece, setting a historic negative record.
Never before had a German national team lost to Greece. In their previous ten meetings, the DFB had recorded seven wins and three draws. Ironically, this streak came to an end in Klopp’s very first home game as national team coach.
Several FC Bayern players were also in the spotlight. Joshua Kimmich and Jonathan Tah were in the starting lineup, as was Nathaniel Brown. Serge Gnabry came on as a substitute in the closing minutes.
Kimmich: A Mix of Highs and Lows
Kimmich took charge of the German midfield from the start. The Bayern star demanded the ball frequently and repeatedly tried to spark the offense. His first shot on goal, however, sailed well over the crossbar.
Kimmich had his best moment in the 26th minute, when he set up a great scoring chance for Karim Adeyemi with a strong pass. The DFB captain also made an impact in the counter-pressing and created danger with a free kick in the 52nd minute. At the same time, a few errant passes crept in. A turnover in the 67th minute nearly had further consequences.
Tah, on the other hand, had a comparatively quiet evening. The center back performed solidly in build-up play and distributed the ball confidently. He also used his physicality to his advantage, though he wasn’t able to truly dominate the game defensively.
Brown remained largely inconspicuous
Nathaniel Brown rarely made an impact on the left side. The 23-year-old positioned himself offensively and was occasionally covered by Kimmich. However, his chemistry with Kevin Schade wasn’t ideal. After Schade was substituted, Brown gelled a bit better with Adeyemi.
The Bayern newcomer had his most notable moment in the 51st minute. Brown broke through to the end line and delivered a sharp cross into the penalty area. Overall, however, his performance remained too unremarkable. He was substituted shortly before the end.
Gnabry didn’t enter the game until the 76th minute, replacing Adeyemi. The Bayern attacker had two decent scoring opportunities but was also unable to prevent the historic defeat. His time on the field wasn’t long enough to warrant a proper evaluation.
Following the 1-1 draw against the Netherlands, Klopp is still waiting for his first win as Germany’s head coach. For the DFB squad, the nature of the loss weighs particularly heavily: this marks the first time ever that Germany has lost an international match against Greece.