Oranje lose 1-0 against Germany in the UEFA Nations League
Oranje lost 1-0 against Germany in the Allianz Arena in Munich on Monday in the group stage of the UEFA Nations League. Germany was the dominant side and was rewarded with the winning goal by debutant Jamie Leweling. Oranje trails Germany by five points in the group because of the defeat and will likely now battle for second place with Hungary.
Jorrel Hato and Brian Brobbey started the match for the Netherlands. The Ajax players had come on as a substitute last Friday in the 1-1 draw against Hungary. Brobbey replaced Joshua Zirkzee up front, and Hato was brought into the side because Mickey van de Ven moved to the center of defence to replace the suspended Virgil van Dijk.
It looked like it was going to be the worst possible start for Ronald Koeman’s side when Germany had the ball in the net after a minute played. Poor defending from Hato and Van de Ven resulted in Jamie Leweling’s effort being deflected into the net by Stefan de Vrij, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR review as Serge Gnarby had come back from an offside position to block Van de Ven’s attempt to clear the ball.
But Germany absolutely dominated the match and forced goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen into his next save within the first ten minutes. Fortunately for Oranje, Maximilian Mittelstädt’s effort was straight at the keeper.
Leweling had another chance to get his first goal for the national side in the 28th minute when Gnabry pulled the ball back for him. His shot was going straight into the bottom corner if it wasn’t for Oranje captain Stefan de Vrij blocking the shot.
It was an incredibly poor half for the Netherlands, who made a ton of mistakes in possession. The home side dominated, and although clear-cut chances were few and far between, there was no argument about who the better side was at halftime.
It was third time lucky for Leweling as Germany finally got their goal. A corner by Joshua Kimmich found Tim Kleindienst, who was completely unmarked. His header was blocked by Van de Ven, but it came out straight to Leweling, who smashed it into the net.
Oranje’s first decent attempt at goal came in the 77th minute when Xavi Simons cut inside before unleashing a powerful shot that hit the crossbar.
Koeman’s side tested the goal one more time before the end of the match when substitute Donyell Malen hit a fierce shot from the edge of the area, which was saved by goalkeeper Oliver Baumann.
The top two teams progress to the semi-finals of the UEFA Nations League. There are two matches remaining with the Netherlands having to travel to Bosnia & Herzegovina and face Hungary at home. They are currently level on points with Hungary who are in third on goal difference. Those matches will be played in November.
