Nocturnal 
Jurgen Klopp’s return to management didn’t stay quiet for long. The former Liverpool boss took charge of Germany for the first time on Thursday night, only to be denied a dream start when Cody Gakpo smashed home a stoppage-time volley to earn the Netherlands a 1-1 draw.
The Nations League Group A2 opener at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam also marked the international coaching debut of Xavi Hernandez, who took over the Dutch side in August after Ronald Koeman stepped down. Klopp, 59, was appointed Germany boss on 24 July and took the reins on 15 August, following Julian Nagelsmann’s resignation after Die Mannschaft’s shock last-32 exit against Paraguay at the 2026 World Cup.
Germany went into the match already missing Jamal Musiala, who was ruled out before kick-off with muscle pain, and things got worse when Arsenal’s Kai Havertz was forced off injured in the 30th minute. Klopp later confirmed a muscular problem and said Havertz would undergo further scans, as reported by Yahoo Sports.
VAR chalks off Van Dijk header
The hosts thought they’d made the breakthrough when Virgil van Dijk, once one of Klopp’s most trusted lieutenants at Anfield, rose to head home from a corner inside the first 15 minutes. But the goal was ruled out after a VAR review adjudged Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey to have fouled Germany goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen in the build-up.
Moments later Brobbey was involved in another flashpoint, tangling with Jonathan Tah near the halfway line and appearing to pick up an injury of his own. With play seemingly slowing down for treatment, Germany instead surged forward and broke the deadlock through Felix Nmecha, who finished from close range after a cutback from Philipp Treu. The goal sparked an angry confrontation between both sets of players, according to the Mirror.
Brobbey was later withdrawn with what appeared to be a hamstring problem. Germany almost doubled their lead before the break when Karim Adeyemi somehow blazed over from inside the six-yard box with the goal gaping.
Gakpo denies Klopp a winning start
The Dutch pushed hard for an equaliser after the interval, with debutant Mexx Meerdink guilty of missing several good chances, including one off the woodwork, while Ter Stegen made a string of important saves to keep his side ahead.
Germany couldn’t hold on. In the 92nd minute, Gakpo latched onto a swift counter-attack and drilled a powerful volley past Ter Stegen to snatch a point for the hosts, denying his former Liverpool manager a fairytale first win.
Speaking afterwards, Klopp put a brave face on the result. “A difficult game against a fantastic team with a great coach,” he said. “You want to win these games but we knew before whatever result we get we will have to work with it. In a parallel world, if somebody tells you in this group you get a draw in Holland, you would say: ‘I’d take that’. We lost two points.”
He added: “We only scratched the surface. We have to go deeper. Everybody felt we already found a good way to build a proper group with these players and next week with some other players.”
Where things stand now: Klopp and Xavi were pictured sharing a warm embrace on the touchline after the final whistle, both leaving Amsterdam with their unbeaten international coaching records intact. Germany will now assess the extent of Havertz’s injury ahead of their next Nations League fixture, while Klopp looks to build on what he called an encouraging, if incomplete, start.
