Germany secured their first victory under head coach Jurgen Klopp with a convincing 2-0 win over Serbia in the UEFA Nations League on Thursday.
Tom Bischof opened the scoring six minutes before half-time before Liverpool midfielder Florian Wirtz doubled Germany’s advantage shortly after the hour mark at the Allianz Arena.
The hosts dominated from the outset, with Aleksandar Pavlovic narrowly missing the target before Nick Woltemade headed wide.
Serge Gnabry also dragged an effort past the post after being picked out by Wirtz.
Serbia goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic kept his side in the contest with saves from Gnabry and Wirtz, but he was beaten when Bischof fired into the roof of the net after Wirtz’s effort had struck the post.
Germany continued to control proceedings after the break, with Petrovic again called into action to keep out Bischof’s powerful effort.
Wirtz eventually got on the scoresheet just past the hour mark, producing a fine individual effort after receiving a pass from Maximilian Mittelstadt.
The Liverpool star beat Srdjan Babic before calmly finishing to make it 2-0.
Serbia struggled to create opportunities, managing just one shot throughout the match.
Filip Kostic’s long-range effort in the 78th minute was comfortably handled by Germany goalkeeper Jonas Urbig.
Germany’s dominance was reflected in their attacking statistics, with Klopp’s side registering 32 shots and an expected goals figure of 3.82, although they were unable to convert several clear opportunities.
Wirtz was particularly influential, creating six chances and recording eight touches in the Serbian penalty area while completing two of his three dribbles.
The goal was also Wirtz’s 12th for Germany, making him the third-youngest player to reach that mark for the national team at 21 years and 37 days, behind Edmund Conen and Lukas Podolski.
