Jurgen Klopp finally has a victory as Germany coach as his side beat Serbia 2-0 in Munich on Thursday in their third UEFA Nations League outing, and the result eased the pressure on the new boss.
Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz and Bayern Munich’s Tom Bischof scored the goals. A young, rebuilt Germany controlled the game from the opening whistle against a flat Serbian side.
The win mattered as much for what it avoided as for what it delivered. Klopp opened his reign with a 1-1 draw against the Ne1therlands, then suffered a surprise 1-0 loss to Greece last weekend. Another dropped point would have made him the first Germany coach in history to go without a win in his first three matches.
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Instead, the four-time world champions leave with a measure of hope as they try to climb back among the sport’s elite.
A fresh XI and a milestone
Klopp named a 44-man squad for this international window, and he used the depth. He sent out an entirely new starting lineup against Serbia, which included three players making their national team debuts: Bayern goalkeeper Jonas Urbig, Freiburg forward Derry Scherhant and Brentford midfielder Vitaly Janelt.
There was history off the bench too. Celtic’s Mika Baur replaced a teammate in the 77th minute and became the 1000th player to wear the Germany shirt.
Germany dominate the first half
The performance was a clear step up from the sluggish display in Greece, even if the opposition offered little resistance. Aleksandar Pavlovic, Serge Gnabry and Bischof all went close in the opening half-hour, while Serbia’s only real threat was a single counter led by Filip Kostic.
The breakthrough arrived just before the interval, and Wirtz created it. He weaved through a crowd of defenders inside the box and struck the post, and Bischof, left unmarked, hammered in the rebound.
Wirtz seals it
Germany kept their foot on the gas after the restart and pinned Serbia deep in their own territory. Nick Woltemade, now at Juventus, had the chance to double the advantage on 59 minutes but somehow sent the ball over the bar from a metre out.
Wirtz rescued his teammate moments later. He created space in the area with a sharp first touch and finished low into the bottom corner.
That goal ended the contest. With the points secure, supporters in the Munich stadium started a Mexican wave that rolled around the stands as the final minutes ticked away.
