Greece stuns Germany in Nations League to hand Klopp first defeat

Germany suffered its first defeat under Jurgen Klopp as Dimitrios Kourbelis's second-half strike gave Greece its first-ever victory over the four-time world champion with a 1-0 UEFA Nations League win in Augsburg on Sunday.

Four days after a 1-1 draw in the Netherlands that opened its League A Group 2 campaign, Germany dominated possession but struggled to turn that control into clear chances against a compact Greek side.

Jonathan Tah (R), Nathaniel Brown (L) of Germany vie with Konstantinos Karetsas of Greece during the UEFA Nations League 2026/27 League A Group A match between Germany and Greece in Augsburg, Germany, Sept. 27, 2026. (Photo by Philippe Ruiz/Xinhua)

Greece, fresh from a 2-1 win over Serbia in its opener, defended deep and looked to exploit the pace of Christos Tzolis and Konstantinos Karetsas on the counterattack.

Germany began creating openings midway through the first half. Karim Adeyemi fired over from a promising position and later forced goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis into a fine save, while Younes Ebnoutalib sent a volley wide.

The host remained largely untroubled at the other end before the break, with Jan-Aurel Bisseck settling well into the back four alongside Josha Vagnoman and Nathaniel Brown.

Debutant Bambase Conte threatened again shortly after the restart, forcing Tzolakis into action, before the Greek goalkeeper tipped away a curling Joshua Kimmich free kick.

Germany was warned in the 67th minute when Kimmich lost possession to Vangelis Pavlidis, who released Fotis Ioannidis, but the forward dragged his effort narrowly wide.

Greece made the host pay seven minutes later. Tzolis switched play across the German defense and Kourbelis found space on the edge of the area. His shot took a deflection off Kimmich and beat Alexander Nubel.

Klopp introduced Florian Wirtz and Jonathan Burkardt in search of an equalizer, but Germany struggled to break down the visitor in the closing stages.

"It wasn't an easy game. To be honest, we didn't do well enough," Germany defender Jonathan Tah said. "We had our chances but didn't take them. In the end, they made the most of their moments and scored the one they needed."

The result leaves Germany on one point from its opening two Group 2 matches, while Greece tops the group with six points.

Germany will host Serbia in Munich on October 1 before traveling to face Greece in Thessaloniki on October 4.