Germany lose 1-0 to Greece as Klopp's wait for a first win goes on

Pinned summary · as of 05:49

Germany went down 1-0 to Greece in Augsburg on Sunday, leaving Jürgen Klopp without a victory in his first two games as national coach. Dimitrios Kourbelis scored the decisive goal in the 74th minute, when his long-range shot changed direction off Joshua Kimmich.

What we know

• Thursday's game against the Netherlands, which finished level at 1-1, was Klopp's debut. He was named coach in July, signing for four years as Julian Nagelsmann's successor.
• Germany fielded a heavily altered team and had most of the possession against Greece, but did not score even after Florian Wirtz came off the bench.
• Greece are 41st in the world rankings and Germany are 12th, yet the Greeks had not won in any of their ten earlier meetings with Germany, losing seven and drawing three.
• Germany have now played four matches without winning, their last victory being against Ivory Coast in the second group game of this summer's World Cup.
• Greece now lead Group 2 of the Nations League, having also got past Serbia on Thursday.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

• ?
  According to Pulse Ghana, Klopp said he could have tolerated a draw but that a defeat was unacceptable, and that a squad who had trained together for just a week needs time to gel. He described the result as a step in a longer process. No other report carried his remarks.
• ?
  Citi Newsroom reported that Nagelsmann stepped down following Germany's last-32 World Cup loss to Paraguay, and that this was Greece's most notable win by ranking gap since they beat fourth-ranked England at Wembley in 2024. Neither point has been reported elsewhere.

Why it matters for Ghana

German and wider European football has a big following in Ghana, from living rooms to viewing centres and betting shops, so a struggling top side under a well-known new coach will interest many fans. The upset also changes the Nations League Group 2 table, where Greece now sit first.