Jurgen Klopp is still searching for his opening victory as national team coach, after Greece produced a shock at Augsburg on Sunday evening in the Nations League.
This was only the second game of his tenure. Thursday’s meeting with the Netherlands had finished level at 1-1, and this latest setback leaves the former Liverpool boss without a win so far.
The decisive moment arrived in the 74th minute. Dimitrios Kourbelis took aim from the edge of the area, and his effort clipped Joshua Kimmich on its way past the keeper. Despite controlling large spells of play, the hosts could not find a reply. Klopp rotated heavily for this fixture and introduced Florian Wirtz from the bench, yet the creativity never turned into a goal.
The scoreline carries extra weight given the history. Greece sit 41st in the global rankings and had failed to beat Germany in any of their ten earlier encounters, which produced seven German victories and three stalemates.
For the hosts, the wider picture looks worrying. The 59-year-old signed a four-year contract in July, taking over from Julian Nagelsmann, who left after the shock last-32 exit against Paraguay at the World Cup. Since overcoming Ivory Coast in their second group match at that tournament, Germany have gone four games without success.
Greece, meanwhile, reclaimed top spot in Group 2 after Thursday’s win over Serbia, and a quarter-final place looks realistic. Beating 12th-ranked Germany also marks their largest triumph by ranking gap since the 2024 win at Wembley, when England were placed fourth.
