Germany secured a 3-1 victory against Serbia in Belgrade on Friday, setting up a decisive Group A2 encounter with the Netherlands in Berlin on Monday to determine who finishes top.
Match Action and Late Red Cards
Playing in heavy rain inside a nearly empty stadium, the visiting side forced an early own goal from Serbian defender Srdan Babic. Florian Wirtz and debutant Brajan Gruda added further goals for Germany to build a commanding lead.
Babic managed to redeem his earlier error by scoring a second-half consolation for the home side. Serbia finished the match with nine players on the pitch after late red cards were shown to substitutes Vanja Dragojevic and Andrija Zivkovic.
The result leaves Germany with two wins, two draws, and one loss from five matches under the guidance of coach Jürgen Klopp. Klopp expressed satisfaction with the team’s progress and performance.
“We played a truly fantastic game. I think we need to get a bit more used to the fact that we’re genuinely good – and capable of being very, very good,” Klopp told RTL. “Our counter-pressing was superb and the intensity was top-notch. So, from my point of view, it was a really, really good game.”
“We wanted to qualify for that ‘final’ in Berlin, and now we have … It’s great. We’re looking forward to it, and we have a wealth of options to choose from,” Klopp added.
Dutch Thumping and Other Group Matches
The Netherlands crushed Greece 7-0 in Amsterdam, meaning the German side will likely need a victory on Monday to secure a spot in the quarter-finals, unless Serbia defeats the Greeks away from home.
Tijjani Reijnders starred for the Dutch by scoring a first-half hat-trick. Crysencio Summerville opened the scoring for the hosts in the sixth minute before Reijnders took over, and Jurriën Timber added the fifth goal to establish a 5-0 halftime advantage.
Timber found the net again shortly before the hour mark, and Donyell Malen rounded off the scoring with the final goal of the match.
Elsewhere, Switzerland continued their campaign to return to Europe’s top tier by playing out a 0-0 draw against Slovenia, keeping their position secure as the leaders of Group B1 ahead of their closest challenger.
