LONDON: Germany’s rebuilding appears to be on the right track.
Denis Undav scored twice and the four-time World Cup winners extended their unbeaten record in the Nations League to three matches after a convincing 2-1 win at Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday.
Reduced to 10 men, the Netherlands managed a 1-1 draw in Hungary.
Following the retirements of Manuel Neuer and Toni Kroos, Germany started a new cycle and their clean and fluid display against a spirited Bosnia side bodes well for the future.
The Germans top their group after also thrashing Hungary 5-0 and drawing in the Netherlands 2-2.
In the absence of several stalwarts, the Germans played with confidence, developed complex attacking moves and gave the impression of enjoying themselves. They had plenty of chances to score more and had a couple of goals disallowed for offside.
“I knew that Bosnia and Herzegovina are good defensively but you have to keep in mind that we had many chances,” said Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann. “That’s why Bosnia and Herzegovina stayed in the game.”
The only downside was the defensive lapse when Hungary’s Edin Dzeko pulled one back 20 minutes from time.
The visitors took the lead in the 30th minute at the conclusion of a move that showcased Florian Wirtz’s cleverness. The unmarked midfielder collected a lofted pass in the box and, instead of trying his luck, cut an unexpected back pass to Undav, who calmly finished the move.
Undav, who marked his first start for Germany with a goal against the Netherlands, was clinical on Friday.
His Stuttgart clubmate Maximilian Mittelstadt was the provider six minutes later with an excellent cross, and Undav doubled Germany’s lead with a clean tap-in from close range.
Bosnia’s Ermedin Demirovic, another Stuttgart player, hit the woodwork in the 35th, but Dzeko scored in the 70th with a header from a corner, his 67th goal for the national team.
Hungary hold the Netherlands
The Dutch’s unbeaten run was almost stopped at Puskas Arena.
The Netherlands won all nine previous meetings with Hungary and enjoyed most of the possession in the first half. But it could not find an edge to get past the staunch Hungarian defense. Roland Sallai put the hosts in the driver’s seat in the 32nd with a close-range finish from Zsolt Nagy’s cross.
The Dutch looked set for a dreadful evening when defender Virgil van Dijk was sent off for a second yellow card but Denzel Dumfries earned a point for the visitors with a header from Cody Gakpo’s curled free kick in the 83rd.
“Even with 10 men, we tried to put pressure forward,” Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman said. “I did have the idea: we’re going to score. If you have a man less, you are relieved that you still (finish) 1-1.”
Germany opened a two-point lead over the Netherlands at the top of the A3 Group. Hungary were third ahead of Bosnia.
Ukraine down Georgia 1-0
Georgia’s unbeaten record was ended by Ukraine in Group B1.
Georgia, the surprise of this year’s European Championship, won their first two games and remained at the top of the group despite the loss. Mykhailo Mudryk scored the winner for Ukraine, earning the war-torn country its first points in the tournament.
The Czech Republic won against Albania 2-0.
Other results
Iceland erased a two-goal deficit to draw with Wales 2-2. Brennan Johnson scored in a seventh consecutive game for club and country as the Tottenham winger put Wales ahead with the opener. Turkiye defeated Montenegro 1-0 in the other Group B4 game. In League C, Estonia won against Azerbaijan 3-1 while Sweden drew at Slovakia 2-2.
