BERLIN (AP) — Jürgen Klopp got his first win as Germany coach and Portugal did just fine without Cristiano Ronaldo in the Nations League on Thursday.
Florian Wirtz starred as Germany defeated Serbia 2-0 in Munich for Klopp’s first win at the third attempt — staving off an unwanted record.
Klopp was on the verge of becoming the first Germany coach not to win any of his first three games after opening with a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands last week before
Sunday’s shock 1-0 defeat to Greece.
Derry Scherhant, Nick Woltemade and Serge Gnabry all missed good chances for Germany before Tom Bischof broke the deadlock in the 39th on the rebound after Wirtz struck the post.
Klopp sent on Cologne star Said El Mala for his debut after the break. Goalkeeper Jonas Urbig and Freiburg forward Scherhant were already making their Germany debuts.
But it was Wirtz who made it 2-0 from Maximilian Mittelstädt’s cross, taking it past a defender with his first touch and sending it inside the right post with his next.
Tijjani Reijnders scored late as the Netherlands fought back to draw 2-2 with Greece in the other Group A2 match — in Thessaloniki.
Fotis Ioannidis scored one goal and set up the other for Greece. Virgil van Dijk netted before the hour mark and Reijnders equalized in the 89th.
The Netherlands also needed a late equalizer against Germany.
João Félix sealed Portugal’s 4-2 win over Denmark in Copenhagen, where the visitors were without Ronaldo after he walked out on the team the day before after an apparent rift with coach Jorge Jesus. It has fueled speculation it may be the end for the veteran star.
Gonçalo Ramos, who has taken the 41-year-old forward’s place, set up João Cancelo’s opener, then responded with Portugal’s second goal two minutes after Mikkel Damsgaard equalized in the 23rd.
Rasmus Højlund drew Denmark level again in the 53rd, only for Vitinha to restore Portugal’s lead with a near-post header to Bruno Fernandes’ free kick in the 67th.
Félix made sure of the win in the 87th.
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