Jürgen Klopp’s wait for his first victory as Germany manager continued after Greece produced a historic 1-0 Nations League upset in Augsburg.
Substitute Dimitrios Kourbelis scored the decisive goal in the 74th minute, with his shot from outside the penalty area taking a deflection off Germany captain Joshua Kimmich before finding the net.
Germany controlled long spells of the match but struggled to turn their possession into clear chances against a disciplined Greek defence. The defeat followed Thursday’s 1-1 draw with the Netherlands, leaving Klopp without a win from his opening two matches.
Greece, ranked 41st in the world, had never defeated Germany in 10 previous meetings. They had lost seven and drawn three before finally recording their first victory over the four-time world champions.
Kourbelis delivers historic Greek victory
Klopp made five changes to the team that started his first match in Amsterdam, with Bambasé Conté handed his senior international debut.
Germany’s starting line-up also featured Younes Ebnoutalib, Karim Adeyemi and Kevin Schade, while Liverpool midfielder Florian Wirtz began the match on the bench.
The hosts saw plenty of the ball but were repeatedly frustrated by Greece’s compact defensive shape. Klopp introduced Wirtz and Jonathan Burkardt in the 65th minute as Germany searched for a breakthrough.
Instead, it was Greece who struck nine minutes later.
Christos Tzolis cut the ball back towards the edge of the penalty area, where it eventually reached Kourbelis. The midfielder’s effort struck Kimmich and beat goalkeeper Alexander Nübel to silence the home crowd at the WWK Arena.
Yann Bisseck was presented with one of Germany’s best opportunities after the goal, but the defender sent his header wide from a corner.
Greece survived the remaining pressure to complete a landmark victory and maintain their perfect start to the competition.
Klopp accepts responsibility for defeat
Klopp accepted responsibility for the starting line-up and substitutions after his unsuccessful home debut.
“We must not lose a game like that,” the former Liverpool manager said, while acknowledging that Germany had struggled to break down a defensively organised opponent.
He described his players as a newly assembled group and said they needed more training and established attacking patterns to overcome teams prepared to defend in numbers.
Klopp had divided a 44-player selection into two squads for Germany’s first four Nations League fixtures, allowing him to assess more players while limiting their workload during the extended international window.
The experimental approach attracted praise before the matches, but Germany have collected only one point from Klopp’s first two games.
The 59-year-old was appointed on a four-year contract in July after Julian Nagelsmann resigned following Germany’s shock penalty-shootout defeat by Paraguay in the last 32 of the 2026 World Cup.
Germany are now winless in four consecutive matches since defeating Ivory Coast during the World Cup group stage.
Greece take control of Group A2
The victory returned Greece to the top of Nations League Group A2 with six points from their opening two fixtures.
Ivan Jovanović’s side had begun the campaign with a dramatic 2-1 victory away to Serbia, recovering from behind before Anastasios Douvikas scored the winner in stoppage time.
Their triumph in Augsburg was also their biggest victory by FIFA ranking since they defeated fourth-ranked England at Wembley in October 2024.
Germany, ranked 12th, must now regroup before hosting Serbia in Munich. Klopp is expected to make extensive personnel changes, with the second part of his split squad taking over for the remaining fixtures.
Germany will then travel to Thessaloniki for a return match against Greece, giving Klopp an immediate opportunity to avenge the damaging home defeat and secure his first victory as national-team manager.
