Cody Gakpo rescues Netherlands with a late 1-1 vs Germany

Netherlands rescued a 1-1 draw against Germany on Xavi’s Nations League debut thanks to a late finish from Cody Gakpo, who scored two minutes into stoppage time.

Germany struck first: Felix Nmecha’s early goal put them ahead in the opening half. The hosts then levelled after the substitute Ruben van Bommel delivered a cross from the outside of the boot, and Gakpo converted with a powerful volley to spark celebrations in added time.

Jürgen Klopp framed the result as a missed opportunity, blaming the stoppage-time concession: “In a parallel world, if someone said you’d get a draw in Holland you’d take that… I feel we lost two points because of the time we conceded.” He also said his four-game squad rotation plans were hit by injuries. Jamal Musiala felt his thigh in the warm-up, with Nadiem Amiri replacing him in the starting XI, while Kai Havertz was forced off in the first half hour; both were due to have MRI scans before returning home, with Klopp expecting them to miss at least Sunday’s match vs Greece.