The German national team wins against the Netherlands and qualifies for the quarter-finals of the Nations League. Julian Nagelsmann‘s weakened team is also convincing; a debutant is the man of the evening with his goal.
After the big farewell applause for the “legends” around record goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, debutant Jamie Leweling led Germany to a prestigious victory in the football classic against the Netherlands. The 23-year-old from Stuttgart created the acclaimed sensation in the Munich Arena in what was at times a tough but still mature 1-0 (0-0) with his full-span goal in the 64th minute.
With the early entry into the quarter-finals of the Nations League, national coach Julian Nagelsmann achieved another milestone on the anniversary of his first international match with a significantly changed B team. Two wins in one week – that’s fine! In the final group games in November against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Hungary, the aim is to finally secure first place.
Even before kick-off it was loud in the Munich Arena, which was sold out with 68,367 spectators. When Neuer, Thomas Müller, Ilkay Gündogan and Toni Kroos, who was not present, said goodbye, the spectators stood up and gave a lot of applause for the German football greats. At this moment the focus was once again on the past – but then it was about the future.
Referee takes back Leweling’s goal
Nagelsmann trusted the Munich-born youngsters Aleksandar Pavlovic (20) and Angelo Stiller (23) in the control center against the group’s top-class opponents. He also replaced Deniz Undav, who was out at short notice due to adductor problems and who scored both goals in the 2-1 win against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Zencia on Friday, with his Stuttgart club colleague Leweling.
And the 23-year-old made a dream debut as a national player with the goal to make it 1-0: Following a corner, Leweling shot the ball with full force from the backcourt into the top right corner of the goal. The VfB professional had already celebrated his debut goal after 100 seconds, but this was taken back by referee Slavko Vincic from Slovenia after minutes of video study. The assist provider Serge Gnabry is said to have been offside when captain Joshua Kimmich played the ball.
Only a little later, Maximilian Mittelstädt missed the chance to take the early lead before Leweling had a second big chance: After a nice attack via Stiller and Gnabry, the Stuttgart player, who had been called up to replace the injured Jamal Musiala, shot from the penalty spot. Oranje captain Stefan de Vrij cleared in front of the line (28th).
Baumann with age record
Without the suspended defense chief Virgil van Dijk, the Dutch defense looked vulnerable to the German team’s pressing; as with Gnabry’s determined follow-up against Quinten Timber (41′). There was little offensive from Oranje, Oliver Baumann initially had a largely quiet debut evening. According to data provider Opta, the 34-year-old is the oldest goalkeeper debutant in DFB history. He was able to excel when Leipzig’s Xavi hit the crossbar while he was still touching the ball with his fingertips (77′). In the end, Baumann saved with a good reaction against Dortmund’s Donyell Malen (90th).
The DFB team didn’t play as spectacularly as they did in the 2-2 draw in the first leg a month ago. But Nagelsmann should not have been dissatisfied. The system is now so stable that it does not fall apart despite five further changes.
One reason for this was Stiller and Pavlovic, who did their job in midfield with great intelligence. Newcomer Leweling also acted confidently and calmly, even if the coordination in the largely reshaped offensive wasn’t perfect.
The attack underwent another change in the second half: Nagelsmann brought on Robert Andrich for Florian Wirtz. The Leverkusen player took over the position from Pavlovic, who moved up to Wirtz’s tenth position. It was increasingly noticeable in the German game that the best offensive players were missing. Gnabry tried very hard and was also noticeable. However, as with his missed chances in the 53rd minute, the Bayern professional was often unlucky.
There was little play for either team, and danger usually only resulted from standard situations. Germany used one of them to take the lead when Kimmich found Tim Kleindienst’s head on a corner. The ball was deflected and fell at Leweling’s feet.
