BERLIN, OCT 15 – Jamie Leweling’s first goal against the Netherlands gave Germany a narrow 1-0 win in Group A3 of the UEFA Nations League yesterday.
Germany thought they had made a fairytale start on home soil, but Leweling’s early opener was ruled out for offside in the third minute after a review by the video assistant referee.
The hosts gained momentum early in the game, but Maximilian Mittelstadt could not beat goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen from a good position after 11 minutes.
Ronald Koeman’s men also struggled for the clash, while Germany should have opened the scoring on the half-hour mark. However, Leweling’s shot from 11 meters was blocked by Stefan de Vrij and Tim Kleindienst failed to capitalize on an errant pass from Micky van de Ven before the break.
The Netherlands controlled possession after the break, but it was Germany who were the more threatening when Serge Gnabry shot wide from 14 meters in the 8th minute of the second half.
Julian Nagelsmann’s squad finally broke the deadlock after an hour of play when the Dutch failed to clear the ball from a corner kick giving Leweling the chance to get the ball and score in the top right corner.
The visitors almost equalized in the 77th minute, but Xavi Simons’ shot from 20 meters hit the crossbar.
Germany continued to threaten and almost doubled their lead when Denzel Dumfries blocked Mittelstadt’s shot.
The Netherlands had another golden opportunity to equalize late in the game when Donyell Malen exchanged passes with Simons before firing a shot on target. However, German goalkeeper Oliver Baumann did well to deny his attempt and secure the three points for the hosts.
Germany remain top of Group A3 with ten points, followed by the Netherlands (5 points), Hungary (5 points), and Bosnia-Herzegovina (1 point). – Xinhua
