Julian Nagelsmann ran angrily onto the pitch at the Johan Cruyff Arena. The final whistle from the Italian referee Davide Massa during a promising German attack did not please the national coach at all, but he was very satisfied with the draw in the prestigious showdown against the Oranje. After conceding the quickest goal in 50 years, the national team rewarded itself with a point in the Netherlands despite major defensive problems. With a lot of defensive risk and great passion, the fun kickers around Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala, who were also required to work as football workers this time, came to a 2:2 (2:1) in Amsterdam.
“It was very entertaining. Both teams were a bit too vulnerable defensively, but it was an exciting and open game. We deserved to come back. You have to score two goals first. Towards the end we were closer to scoring,” Nagelsmann told TV station RTL and was a little annoyed with the referee: “We had a great chance blown away in the last second. He didn’t whistle well on either side. I also think it was a clear penalty for Jamal.”
Deniz Undav (38th minute) with his DFB debut goal as a substitute for the injured Niclas Füllkrug and Joshua Kimmich (45th+3) turned the result around after the lightning goal by Tijjani Reijnders (2nd) by half-time, but Denzel Dumfries (50th) equalized with another quick Oranje goal after the break in front of 50,109 spectators.
“They had their chances, and so did we. We still need to get better. Today wasn’t our day like against Hungary. We will learn from games like against Holland. There were a few ball losses, like before the goal against us, so we need to be more clever,” said Musiala, adding: “There are also a lot of positive things that we can take away. It’s also normal when four legends are out of the team. It’s a process. The mood around the team is really good. We play good football. It’s fun.”
Three days after the 5-0 gala against Hungary, the Dutch proved to be the much more challenging opponent in the top match of Group 3 of the Nations League top league. After the draw, however, the DFB team will go into the October games as league leaders, when after the match in Bosnia-Herzegovina (11.10.) there will be a quick reunion with Oranje in Munich (14.10.). Then the path to the quarter-finals can even be paved.
Nagelsmann can be satisfied with the new start after the home European Championships with four points. There was little magic against national coach Ronald Koeman’s team, but the resilience was there.
Early shock for DFB team
“We want to try to conjure up a moment that will be remembered,” Nagelsmann announced. But first, after the gala against Hungary, there was a rude awakening under the roof of the arena, which was closed due to the stormy weather. After just 99 seconds, Oranje had taken the German team by surprise. After a long ball from goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, Brian Brobbey chested the ball to ex-Bayern professional Ryan Gravenberch, whose through ball to Reijnders completely exposed the German back line.
The German team conceded the quickest goal in 50 years. The last time Johan Neeskens scored earlier was in the 1974 World Cup final – also against the Netherlands. Back then, it took just 86 seconds.
Dutch transition game causes major problems
Nagelsmann had warned about the Dutch counterattacking game – apparently in vain. The Dutch launched further extremely dangerous counterattacks, which revealed huge gaps in the German defense. Significantly, the two center backs Nico Schlotterbeck and Jonathan Tah received a yellow card after less than 25 minutes. And in midfield, Robert Andrich and Pascal Groß had great difficulty maintaining order.
Given the risky play of the German team, things could have been even worse. Denzel Dumfries with a header (15th) and Leipzig’s Xavi Simons with a free pass in front of Marc-André ter Stegen (21st) could have extended the lead. Nagelsmann and assistant coach Sandro Wagner pondered for solutions on the bench.
Only a year ago – the then national coach Hansi Flick was released after the terrible 1:4 defeat against Japan – the DFB team would probably have fallen apart. But the structure has long since grown under Nagelsmann after the good home European Championship – also thanks to the two magicians Musiala and Wirtz, who were once again the mainstays of the big showdown.
Undav’s first goal
The Dutch also helped a little. Musiala intercepted a weak pass from his former Bayern colleague Matthijs de Ligt. The ball went to Wirtz via Kai Havertz and Deniz Undav. Verbruggen was able to parry his shot, but was unable to parry Undav’s follow-up shot.
For the Stuttgart player, who had replaced the injured Niclas Füllkrug, it was the first goal in his fourth international match. But that was not all. After Andrich shifted the ball to the left, the hosts again did not defend consistently enough. David Raum slid the ball into the middle to Undav, who served the free Kimmich. It was the seventh goal in the Munich player’s 93rd international match, but the first in his new role as captain.
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The lead at half-time was fortunate – and only short-lived. Nagelsmann brought Waldemar Anton on for Tah, but security did not return. Brobbey in particular caused major problems for the German side. It was the strong Ajax striker who also prevailed against Schlotterbeck after quickly winning the ball and set up the goal scorer Dumfries. Havertz had a great chance to take the lead again in the opposite direction, but as against Hungary, the Arsenal striker lacked the killer instinct in front of goal (52′). Raum also missed another great chance with a header (71′).
Both teams gave it their all, and it was also physical. At least Nagelsmann’s team didn’t allow much more and earned the point with great effort.
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