We played a really fantastic match, said Germany coach Jürgen Klopp.
The Netherlands crushed Greece 7-0 on Friday in a UEFA Nations League fixture that left the visitors facing one of the heaviest defeats in their history. Ivan Jovanovic’s side suffered an early collapse at the Johan Cruyff Stadium, conceding the opening goal in the sixth minute after two consecutive errors from central defender Dinos Mavropanos. Crysencio Summerville pumbled the gift home, setting the tone for a dominant night orchestrated by the Oranje.
Jurrien Timber and Joey Veerman then combined to set up Tijani Reijnders for the second goal in the 12th minute. Forward Tijani Reijnders completed a hat-trick before the interval, netting off a chest control from Donyell Malen in the 18th minute and converting a pass from Denzel Dumfries in the 33rd minute.
Malen added a fifth right before halftime following a technical build-up with Timber. The second half brought no relief as Timber scored his second in the 59th minute and Malen added a seventh in the 61st minute.
Germany secured a comfortable 3-1 victory against Serbia on November 13, 2026, at the Rajko Mitic Stadium in Belgrade. Kai Havertz opened the scoring in the third minute when his header from a Maximilian Mittelstädt corner deflected off Malick Thiaw and Srdan Babic into the net. Florian Wirtz doubled the lead in the 14th minute with a clever lob after Aleksandar Pavlovic capitalized on a defensive slip to find Havertz. Brajan Gruda, making his debut as one of 11 players capped under Klopp, scored Germany’s third goal in the 50th minute by intercepting a ball in his own half and outpacing the Serbian defense.
“I think that we have to get a little bit more used to the fact that we are genuinely good, and capable of being very, very good,” Klopp told [france24.com]. Babic pulled a goal back for Serbia in the 56th minute.
The hosts finished the match with nine men after second-half substitutes Vanja Dragojevic and Andrija Zivkovic received red cards in the 74th and 89th minutes. The match was played behind closed doors, with only 5,000 children under 14 and their chaperones in attendance, following a UEFA sanction over racist and discriminatory behavior by Serbian fans during previous home fixtures.
The Netherlands sits unbeaten at the top of the group with 11 points and needs only a draw against Germany in Berlin on Monday to secure a spot in the quarterfinals. Germany’s victory brought the team level with Greece on eight points.
Greece hosts Serbia next, needing a victory while simultaneously hoping for a German win or a slip-up by the Mannschaft to advance. The upcoming fixtures will finalize the quarterfinalists as the group stage concludes.
- Where did the Netherlands play Greece? The match took place at the Johan Cruyff Stadium, where the Oranje secured a 7-0 victory on November 13, 2026.
- Why was the Serbia-Germany match played without general fans? UEFA ordered the Rajko Mitic Stadium to be closed to the general public due to discriminatory fan behavior during earlier home matches against the Netherlands and Greece.
- How many debutants has Jürgen Klopp used? Brajan Gruda’s appearance marked the 11th debut under Klopp since the coach took charge in late July.
“Our counter-attack was magnificent and the intensity was top-class,” Klopp told [france24.com] on November 13, 2026.
Related reading