Jürgen Klopp ‘unbothered’ despite 1-0 home defeat
Gakpo goes off in 2-1 win, Portugal edge past Norway
Greece stunned hosts Germany 1-0 in Augsburg to go top of their Nations League group and spoil Jürgen Klopp’s debut in the home dugout.
Dimitris Kourbelis scored the only goal in the 74th minute, earning Greece their first-ever victory in 11 matches against Germany. Ivan Jovanovic’s side now lead Group A2 with six points from two matches; Klopp’s side are third with one point from two games after a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands on Thursday.
The hosts were in control for most of the game and had close to 80% possession in the first half alone. Germany were punished for sloppy defending, especially in the second half, which gave the visitors space to attack.
Felix Nmecha fired wide in the 54th minute, moments after the Greece keeper Konstantinos Tzolakis had palmed a Joshua Kimmich free kick over the bar. The Greeks then almost scored in the 66th after Kimmich lost possession in his own half, but substitute Fotis Ioannidis fired just wide of the post.
They did better eight minutes later, with Kourbelis’ deflected low drive earning their second victory in a row after their last-gasp 2-1 win over Serbia on Thursday. Greece will now host the Dutch on Thursday, while Germany host Serbia.
Klopp rejected the defeat after the final whistle. “Personally, I’m completely unbothered by it,” he told ARD. “I’ve lost far more matches in my life than I would have liked … but as long as you draw the right conclusions, a loss is ultimately just a piece of information – no different from a win.”
“We absolutely need these kinds of matches – they are exactly the games we wanted to have,” Klopp added, while Kimmich said his new coach “has been very clear about what he wants – as players, we need to implement it.”
Earlier, the Netherlands earned a 2-1 victory in Serbia thanks to Mexx Meerdink’s double on his second appearance for his country. It was their first win under new coach Xavi Hernández following Thursday’s draw with Germany.
Meerdink, who plays for Eredivisie leaders AZ, opened the scoring with a confidently taken penalty in the 30th minute. Luka Jovic equalised for the hosts but Meerdink struck again in the 69th minute to earn all three points.
“It’s a boyhood dream,” AZ forward Meerdink said. “Everything is happening so quickly. You just don’t realise what can happen in the space of a week. It’s also great that we managed to win here. I did feel a little pressure, but you play that out of your system. And then to score two is fantastic.”
Cody Gakpo is an injury concern after going off in the 17th minute and will undergo a scan on Monday. “It’s his ankle, that’s all I know,” Xavi said on the Liverpool winger’s injury. “Tomorrow we will know, but hopefully it’s not too important.”
João Félix scored for the second consecutive Portugal match as the defending champions edged past hosts Norway 2-1 to top Group A4 with two wins from two games.
Erling Haaland cancelled out Félix’s 17th-minute opener in the 54th minute, but Gonçalo Ramos’ chip three minutes later secured victory for Jorge Jesus’ side in Oslo.
Bruno Fernandes was left out of the Portugal squad on Sunday, with Jesus revealing beforehand that the Manchester United captain had “played through the pain” in Thursday’s 1-0 win over Wales.
“He played with an injury he brought from Manchester United,” the Portugal head coach said. “He wasn’t his usual self … [but] he really wanted to play against Wales.”
Portugal stay in Scandinavia for their next game, away to Denmark on Thursday. Norway visit Cardiff to take on Wales, who earlier lost 2-0 to the Danes in Copenhagen.