In an intense UEFA Nations League Group A3 fixture, Jamie Leweling netted his maiden goal, guiding Germany to a slim 1-0 victory over the Netherlands on Monday night.
The German squad initially thought they’d kicked things off with a dream start at home, thanks to a swift goal by Leweling, thwarted in the third minute by an offside ruling from the VAR.
Unfazed, the home team upped the ante, forcing the Dutch squad onto the defensive. Despite dominating, Maximilian Mittelstadt’s promising encounter with goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen didn’t bear fruit after 11 minutes of play.
Ronald Koeman’s side seemed to struggle with finding their rhythm, while Germany nearly opened their score sheet around the half-hour mark. However, Leweling’s attempt got denied by a resolute Stefan de Vrij, with Tim Kleindienst failing to take advantage of Micky van de Ven’s errant pass just before halftime.
The second half saw the Netherlands holding more of the ball, but it was Germany who looked more threatening. Serge Gnabry’s effort from 14 meters, however, veered off target early in the half.
The hosts finally broke the ice on the hour mark. A failure by the Netherlands to properly deal with a corner allowed Leweling to seize an untamed ball, expertly finding the top right-hand corner of the net.
In the 77th minute, the Dutchmen almost leveled the score with Xavi Simons striking from 20 meters, only to see it scrape the outside of the crossbar.
Persistent in their attack, Germany nearly increased their margin of victory when Denzel Dumfries blocked a promising Mittelstadt effort on the fringes of the box.
The Elftal were handed another golden chance as the match approached its climax with Donyell Malen and Simons exchanging a neat one-two before Malen launched a fierce shot on target. But Germany’s keeper, Oliver Baumann, delivered a superb save, sealing the win for the Germans.
German forces remain undefeated atop Group A3 with ten points, while the Netherlands and Hungary contest the runner-up spot with five points each, and Bosnia-Herzegovina lags behind with one.
“Our first half was truly exceptional. It’s a pity our initial goal was waived off. Post-break, the Dutch mixed things up, but we held our ground defensively, and chances kept coming our way. Jamie truly shone today, snagging a well-deserved goal. We earned this win,” enthused Nagelsmann.
Edited by: Ali Musa
alimusa@axadletimes.com
Axadle international–Monitoring
