Jurgen Klopp secured his first victory as Germany manager as Die Mannschaft defeated Serbia 2-0 in their UEFA Nations League Group 2 encounter at the Allianz Arena in Munich on Thursday.
After drawing with the Netherlands and suffering a defeat against Greece in his opening two matches in charge, Klopp finally celebrated a win with a new-look Germany side producing an impressive performance in front of their home supporters. The former Liverpool manager had named a 44-man squad for the four-match international schedule, with several changes made to the starting XI following the previous fixture.
Germany immediately looked determined to put their recent disappointment behind them and dominated proceedings from the opening stages.
Germany came close to opening the scoring when Florian Wirtz struck the post, but Serbia’s resistance did not last much longer. Tom Bischof eventually broke the deadlock with a powerful strike, giving Germany the reward their early dominance deserved. The midfielder produced an excellent individual display throughout the contest.
Serbia struggled to establish any consistent attacking rhythm as Germany controlled possession and repeatedly threatened the visitors’ defensive line.
Florian Wirtz continued to cause problems for Serbia and eventually got his name on the scoresheet. The Liverpool midfielder produced an outstanding first touch inside the penalty area to create space for himself before calmly finishing to put Germany 2-0 ahead.
Wirtz’s performance was another highlight of an impressive attacking display from Klopp’s side, with Germany finishing the match with 23 shots compared to Serbia’s solitary attempt.
The match also produced a memorable milestone for Celtic midfielder Mika Baur. Baur made his international debut when he came off the bench, becoming the 1,000th player to earn a cap for the Germany men’s national team. The historic appearance added another significant moment to an evening that ultimately belonged to Klopp and his players.
Germany remained in control after the second goal and comfortably managed the remainder of the contest without allowing Serbia to mount a serious comeback.
Serbia’s limited attacking output was reflected by their one shot on target, while Germany recorded six efforts on target from their 23 attempts.
The 2-0 victory represents Klopp’s first win since taking charge of the German national team. After a draw and defeat in his first two games, the former Liverpool boss will be encouraged by the response from his players, particularly the performances of Bischof and Wirtz.
The result leaves Serbia at the bottom of the standings, while Germany can take confidence from a dominant performance that delivered Klopp his first victory in charge.
With Germany displaying greater control, passing accuracy and attacking efficiency, the win provides a positive response after a difficult start to Klopp’s tenure.
Player Ratings
Germany Player Ratings vs Serbia
| Player | Rating |
|---|---|
| Jonas Urbig | 7.0 |
| Philipp Treu | 8.3 |
| Waldemar Anton | 7.6 |
| Malick Thiaw | 8.0 |
| Maximilian Mittelstädt | 8.0 |
| Serge Gnabry | 7.1 |
| Aleksandar Pavlović | 8.4 |
| Tom Bischof | 8.9 |
| Derry Scherhant | 7.6 |
| Nick Woltemade | 7.1 |
| Florian Wirtz | 8.7 |
Serbia Player Ratings vs Germany
| Player | Rating |
|---|---|
| Djordje Petrović | 7.8 |
| Strahinja Eraković | 6.1 |
| Nemanja Gudelj | 6.1 |
| Srdjan Babić | 5.8 |
| Kosta Nedeljković | 6.4 |
| Filip Kostić | 6.4 |
| Andrija Živković | 6.3 |
| Nemanja Maksimović | 6.1 |
| Stefan Džodić | 5.8 |
| Dušan Tadić | 5.4 |
| Luka Jovic | 5.9 |
Germany vs Serbia Match Statistics
| Statistic | Germany | Serbia |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 23 | 1 |
| Shots on Target | 6 | 1 |
| Possession | 54% | 46% |
| Passes | 726 | 205 |
| Pass Accuracy | 92% | 71% |
| Fouls | 10 | 11 |
| Yellow Cards | 0 | 2 |
| Red Cards | 0 | 0 |
| Offsides | 1 | 1 |
| Corners | 12 | 1 |
