Klopp's Germany beat Serbia 3-1... Xavi's Netherlands wins 7-0

Germany defeated Serbia and maintained its hopes of advancing to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Nations League (UNL).

Germany won 3-1 against Serbia in the 5th game of Group 2 of the 2026-2027 UNL League A held at Raiko Mitic Stadium in Belgrade, Serbia on the 14th (Korean time).

Germany, which achieved its first win under coach Jurgen Klopp in a match against Serbia last October, achieved its second win this time by sacrificing Serbia.

Coach Klopp took the helm of Germany as the successor to coach Julian Nagelsmann, who was sacked due to poor performance at the 2026 North and Central America World Cup. After taking office, he achieved his second win (2 draws, 1 loss) in 5 games.

Germany took the lead three minutes into the game thanks to an own goal. In a corner kick situation, Kai Havertz's header hit Serbia defender Srdan Babic and went into the goal.

In the 14th minute of the first half, the goalkeeper blocked Havertz's shot, and Florian Wirz pushed the ball in to make it 2-0.

In the 5th minute of the second half, Brajan Groud, who was making his A-match debut, stole the ball in his own half, broke through the opponent's defense with a solo dribble, and hit the net with a ground ball shot.

In the 11th minute of the second half, Serbia's Babic, the protagonist of an own goal, scored a makeover goal, but in the 31st minute of the second half, Banja Dragojevic was sent off after a video review (VAR) for a rough tackle and lost momentum in the chase.

In the 44th minute of the second half, Serbia's Andrija Zivkovic also received a red card for protesting and was kicked out of the ground.

The match was played without spectators because Serbia was disciplined by UEFA for racist behavior by fans. However, approximately 5,000 children, including children under the age of 15 accompanied by teachers or soccer coaches, were allowed to enter.

Kimmich said after the game, "I think the first half was really good. We played good football. In the second half, problems arose and the game became chaotic. But it was a game worth winning. I will accept the win."

The Netherlands, in the same group, defeated Greece 7-0 at home and continued its undefeated streak under coach Xavi Hernández.

The Netherlands opened with Crisencio Somerville's first goal in the 6th minute of the first half, and Tijani Lijnders scored 3 goals in 21 minutes, completing a hat-trick in the first half to comfortably win.

The Netherlands led the group with 11 points. Greece and Germany are both on 8 points, and Serbia is in last place after losing all 5 games.

The top two teams in the group advance to the quarterfinals, and if the points are tied, the winner is decided. Three teams, the Netherlands, Germany, and Greece, have the possibility of advancing to the quarterfinals.

Germany will play its final match against the Netherlands in Berlin on the 17th. Greece plays Serbia at home.