The Netherlands and Germany played out a 1–1 draw on Thursday evening in their opening fixture of Group A2 in the UEFA Nations League, as Cody Gakpo rescued the hosts with a dramatic equalizer in the second minute of stoppage time.
The encounter carried special significance, marking the official debuts of both Xavi Hernández in charge of the Netherlands and Jürgen Klopp at the helm of Germany, following their respective appointments in the aftermath of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Dutch thought they had taken the lead in the 13th minute when Virgil van Dijk headed into the net, but the goal was disallowed following a VAR review due to a foul committed by Brian Brobbey on goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen.
Germany capitalized on the hosts’ temporary lapse and broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute through Felix Nmecha, sparking protests from the Dutch players as play continued while one of their teammates remained down, which briefly escalated into on-pitch altercations.
Xavi’s side pressed for an equalizer throughout the second half and mounted intense pressure in the closing stages. Gakpo finally struck in the 92nd minute, denying Klopp an opening away victory to launch his tenure with Die Mannschaft.
The result leaves both the Netherlands and Germany on one point apiece, sitting level with Serbia and Greece after the other group fixture also ended in a 1–1 draw, leaving all four teams deadlocked on points and goal difference following the opening round of matches.
The Netherlands will travel to face Serbia on September 27 before visiting Greece on October 1, returning home to host Serbia on October 4. Meanwhile, Germany will host Greece and then Serbia, before wrapping up the current international window away to Greece.
