Germany misses revenge in Thessaloniki despite offensive pressure

In the Toumba‑Stadion in Thessaloniki the German national team had to settle for a 0:0 draw against Greece on Sunday in the Nations League, just one week after Jürgen Klopp's team lost 0:1 in Augsburg. The match was characterised by few clear chances and ended without a goal, further burdening the already tight league position.

Points and Table Position

After four matchdays Germany has only five points and therefore sits three points behind the Netherlands and Greece in Group 2. The Netherlands earned three points at home against Serbia with a 2:1 win, while Greece also collected five points thanks to a draw.

In Eindhoven the Dutch celebrated after goals from Teun Koopmeiners in the 31st minute and Joshua Zirkzee in the 71st minute, while Serbia's 19‑year‑old striker Mihajlo Cvetkovic could only score a quick own goal after 19 minutes.

Match Progress and Chances

In the north of Greece Lennart Karl, David Raum and Jonathan Burkardt were placed in the starting eleven, and the team appeared confident and dominant. In the second minute Jonas Urbig, goalkeeper of FC Bayern, squandered the best chance when he reacted instantly to a header from Greece captain Giorgos Masouras.

Jonathan Burkardt thought he had scored the 0:1 for Germany in the 32nd minute, but the goal was disallowed due to a handball by Tom Bischof, so the German side kept its concentration.

In the 56th minute Philipp Treu played the ball out, but the shot missed; five minutes later Derry Scherhant, a forward from Freiburg, narrowly missed the goal.

Goalkeeper Marc ter Stegen, who had so far been selected for 44 players in the first international period of coach Jürgen Klopp, was omitted from the squad this time, while Ajax goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis kept the goal for Greece.

Reactions and Outlook

Captain Florian Wirtz commented after the match: “I think we built up quite a lot of pressure. In the end we simply didn’t score the goal. That’s frustrating, but we can still be satisfied with how we played.”

In mid‑November the German national team will face Serbia again and will finish the group stage with a match against the Netherlands.

At the same time Portugal secured a place in the quarter‑finals in Group 4 of League A, even though Cristiano Ronaldo did not feature; Gonçalo Ramos scored the winning goal against Norway in the 79th minute, after Kristoffer Ajer had found the net in the 36th minute and João Cancelo shortly thereafter equalised.