After a predominantly dominant performance, the German national team is already safely in the newly introduced quarter-finals of the UEFA Nations League two matchdays before the end of the preliminary round. The DFB team won the 48th international classic against the Netherlands in Munich with 1:0 (0:0) and, with ten points after four games, is now the leader in Group 3 and can no longer be pushed out of one of the top two places.
Stuttgart newcomer Jamie Leweling became the match winner with his first international goal in the 64th minute, after a supposed goal had already been disallowed shortly after kick-off. The DFB team set the tempo for much of the match, but lacked precision in the final stages on one or two occasions.
First farewell, then whirlwind
Before the game, world champions Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller and Toni Kroos, as well as Ilkay Gündogan, who had retired from the DFB team and who had all played in the opening match of the European Championship against Scotland (5:1), the last international match in the Bavarian capital, were given an emotional farewell to great applause. Their successors in the national jersey, with goalkeeper Oliver Baumann and Jamie Leweling making their debuts and defensive midfielders Aleksandar Pavlovic and Angelo Stiller making their starting debuts in the senior team in their home town, also caused a stir from the kick-off.
After just 100 seconds, the ball hit the Dutch net after a deflected shot from Leweling from 15 meters, but referee Slavko Vincic and his team decided after more than three minutes of video study that the goal had been preceded by an offside position. The German team was unimpressed by the referee's decision and continued to put pressure on the Elftal's defense, who had to make do without their suspended captain Virgil van Dijk. Within a few minutes, Tim Kleindienst (8th) and Maximilian Mittelstädt (10th) failed to beat goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen from close range
German pressing annoys Oranje
The match gradually calmed down a bit, but the DFB team remained clearly in control of the game throughout the rest of the first half, while the dark blue Oranje had hardly been able to develop up to that point, partly due to the aggressive German pressing. In the 28th minute, Leweling was again put in the spotlight by Serge Gnabry in the backcourt. Stefan de Vrij was just able to parry his shot from around 13 meters just before the line (28th). Just a minute later, Kleindienst narrowly missed the visitors' goal from distance (29th).
The 68,367 people in Munich were very pleased with the national team's performance and let the Mexican wave ripple around the stadium - the only thing missing were the goals on the video wall. Stiller's header (37th minute) and Kleindienst again, who slipped past a sharp cross from the agile Gnabry (43rd minute), also missed the opening goal. Despite the great superiority, the half-time break was goalless.
Leweling scores shortly after a corner
At the start of the second period, Robert Andrich replaced his Leverkusen teammate Florian Wirtz - and the Netherlands became more active, more present in midfield and made the game more balanced. But Germany again had the first good chance when Gnabry missed from 14 meters (53').
When the game threatened to become too boring, standard situations in the Dutch half caused danger. After two unsuccessful free kicks, a corner kick finally broke the spell. Kleindienst headed on a corner from captain Joshua Kimmich, the rebound landed on the foot of Leweling in the backcourt, who slammed the ball into the net with full force from around twelve meters.
The 1988 European champions, however, did not accept defeat and almost equalized in the 77th minute. After a strong individual effort, Leipzig's Xavi Simons also fired the ball from almost 25 meters into the crossbar of the German goal. In the 83rd minute, Mittelstädt initially missed the second German goal before Baumann brilliantly parried a shot from Donyell Malen and thus secured the win.
