Germany played to a scoreless 0-0 draw against Greece in Thessaloniki during the UEFA Nations League group stage, leaving the DFB-Elf in third place in Group B at the halfway mark of the campaign. Just a week after suffering a 1-0 defeat to the same Greek side in Augsburg, national team coach Jürgen Klopp’s squad registered 13 shots but failed to break through a resilient home defense.
The Standings Reality in Group B
With five points accumulated, Germany sits behind both the Netherlands and Greece in the Group B table. Under the tournament’s knockout format, only the top two teams in the group advance to the quarter-finals, putting pressure on the team ahead of their remaining autumn fixtures. To salvage advancement, Klopp's side must win upcoming matches against Serbia in mid-November and close out group play in Berlin against the Netherlands.
Klopp Makes Three Changes to Starting Lineup
Looking to spark a turnaround from the Augsburg setback, Klopp made three personnel changes to his starting lineup. Lennart Karl, Jonathan Burkardt, and David Raum came into the side, replacing Serge Gnabry—who missed out due to injury—alongside Nick Woltemade and Maximilian Mittelstädt. Meanwhile, the midfield trio of Tom Bischof, Aleksandar Pavlović, and Florian Wirtz remained intact. Wirtz, at 23 years old, captained the national team for the first time in his 48th international appearance.
Germany Misses Chances as Video Review Overturns Goal
Greece threatened immediately when goalkeeper Jonas Urbig was forced to parry a close-range header from Georgios Masouras in just the second minute. Germany gradually seized control of the tempo, and Raum tested Greek goalkeeper Kostas Tzolakis with a free-kick in the 25th minute that was pushed away. Burkardt thought he had broken the deadlock in the 32nd minute, but a subsequent video review overturned the goal due to a handball in the buildup. Despite mounting 13 attempts before halftime, the visitors remained frustrated. Substitute Derry Scherhant and late arrivals Woltemade and Said El Mala also injected fresh energy in the second half, but the finishing touch remained elusive as central defenders Waldemar Anton and Malick Thiaw were repeatedly forced to thwart Greek counter-attacks.
What Comes Next for the DFB-Elf
The German national team will return to competitive action in mid-November for the round of group fixtures, traveling to face Serbia before hosting the Netherlands in Berlin for the group-stage finale.
