Nations League Weekend: Greece Stun Klopp's Germany, Portugal Win in Oslo Without Ronaldo
Greece beat Germany for the first time, Portugal won 2-1 in Norway, Xavi got his first Dutch win and Denmark saw off Wales.
Sunday's UEFA Nations League action produced a genuine shock in Augsburg, a win for the holders in Oslo and a first victory for a new manager in Belgrade. Here is how the weekend's key League A matches played out.
Germany 0-1 Greece
Greece recorded their first-ever win over Germany, and handed Jurgen Klopp his first defeat as Germany manager. The decisive moment came in the 74th minute in Augsburg: Vangelis Pavlidis switched play to Christos Tzolis, whose ball into the box fell to substitute Dimitris Kourbelis, and his low shot deflected off Joshua Kimmich into the bottom corner.
Germany had plenty of the ball but offered little going forward, and Greek goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis dealt with what did come his way. Klopp, who took charge after Germany's early exit from the 2026 World Cup and named 16 uncapped players in his squad, has now drawn one and lost one. Greece, coached by Ivan Jovanovic, have won both of their opening games away from home after also beating Serbia in Belgrade.
Norway 1-2 Portugal
The Nations League holders won in Oslo without Cristiano Ronaldo, who was not in the squad. Joao Felix put Portugal ahead in the 17th minute at the Ullevaal Stadium. Erling Haaland equalised in the 51st minute, his 65th goal for Norway, but Goncalo Ramos restored Portugal's lead just two minutes later.
Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland endured a difficult night, with his errors handing Portugal chances; he was spared a second costly mistake only when VAR ruled Ramos offside. "Every moment is important," Ramos said afterwards. "The most important thing is to show what I can do whenever I'm called upon and to contribute to the team."
Serbia 1-2 Netherlands
Xavi Hernandez has his first win as Netherlands coach, and he has late call-up Mexx Meerdink to thank. The AZ Alkmaar striker scored a 30th-minute penalty after Crysencio Summerville was fouled by Aleksa Terzic, only for Luka Jovic to equalise 54 seconds into the second half. Meerdink struck again in the 69th minute to seal the win in Belgrade.
The Dutch dominated the shot count, but there was a worry for Xavi: Cody Gakpo was forced off injured in the first half. The victory lifts the Netherlands to the top of their group after last week's 1-1 draw with Germany, while Serbia have lost both games at home.
Denmark 2-0 Wales
Denmark picked up a vital win at Parken in Copenhagen. After Gustav Isaksen had an early goal ruled out for offside following a VAR review, Denmark went ahead in the 52nd minute when Ben Davies deflected Mikkel Damsgaard's free-kick into his own net. Isaksen, who won the free-kicks that led to both goals, doubled the lead 13 minutes later.
Wales had made six changes after their defeat in Lisbon, but struggled to threaten. They face Norway on Thursday.
Elsewhere
Austria beat Kosovo 3-1 to keep up their perfect record, with goals from Affengruber, Adamu and Chukwuemeka.
Key takeaways
- Dimitris Kourbelis scored as Greece beat Germany for the first time, handing Klopp his first loss.
- Portugal won 2-1 in Norway without Ronaldo; Haaland scored his 65th international goal.
- Mexx Meerdink's double earned Xavi his first win as Netherlands coach.
- Denmark beat Wales 2-0 through a Ben Davies own goal and Gustav Isaksen.
- Cody Gakpo went off injured in Belgrade.
FAQ
Has Greece ever beaten Germany before? No. Sunday's 1-0 win in Augsburg was Greece's first victory over Germany.
Did Cristiano Ronaldo play against Norway? No, he was not included in Portugal's squad for the game.
Who scored for the Netherlands against Serbia? Mexx Meerdink scored both goals, one a penalty.
Sources: beIN Sports, Greek City Times, Al Jazeera, FotMob, Yahoo Sports, VAVEL, ESPN