Jürgen Klopp's return to management ended in a 1-1 draw on Thursday night as Cody Gakpo struck deep into added time to deny Germany victory in their Nations League Group A2 opener at the Johan Cruyff Arena. Felix Nmecha put Germany in front with the opening goal in the 32nd minute, only for Gakpo to volley home from Ruben van Bommel's cross in the 90th minute to earn the Netherlands a point.
The match was also the first in charge for new Dutch head coach Xavi Hernández, who succeeded Ronald Koeman following the Netherlands' World Cup exit. Germany suffered a blow before kick-off when Jamal Musiala felt his thigh in the warm-up and could not start, with Nadiem Amiri brought in to replace him.
The opening exchanges were immediately contentious. Virgil van Dijk put the ball in the net from a Tijjani Reijnders corner inside the first 15 minutes, but a VAR review ruled it out after Brian Brobbey was adjudged to have impeded Germany goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen. On the half-hour, Arsenal's Kai Havertz was then forced from the pitch with a hamstring problem, leaving Germany short of attacking experience.
The goal that followed proved the flashpoint of the evening. With Brobbey down near the halfway line carrying what appeared to be a hamstring injury, Joshua Kimmich played on. Philipp Treu delivered a cross and Nmecha swept the ball home from close range. Several Netherlands players were incensed, and captain Van Dijk publicly branded the decision to allow the goal to stand a disgrace.
Klopp was unequivocal in his rebuttal. "It certainly wasn't a disgrace. The goal was completely legitimate. I don't have a guilty conscience," he told his post-match press conference. "And I would have one if it weren't legitimate. I would have taken it anyway, but I would have had a guilty conscience. I don't have one." He added that he would have instructed his own players to keep going in the same situation, and that emotions running high can lead people to say anything in the heat of the moment.
Kimmich was equally firm, stating he heard no whistle and therefore the game had continued entirely correctly. The Bayern Munich captain maintained that responsibility for halting play when a player is seriously hurt rests solely with the referee, and that Van Dijk had not offered a considered response to what had happened.
Germany almost put matters beyond doubt before half-time when Karim Adeyemi somehow failed to convert from inside the six-yard box, while the Netherlands were themselves denied by a remarkable miss from substitute Mexx Meerdink, who stretched for a cross and prodded wide with the goal open.
Ultimately it was Gakpo who had the final word. Van Bommel, a 22-year-old whose father Mark earned 79 caps for the Netherlands, stole possession on the halfway line and delivered a curling cross that Gakpo met on the full volley to fire past ter Stegen and snatch a draw.
Klopp told German broadcaster RTL the evening had felt mostly good but had been really exhausting for both teams, and that he could live with the point. The injury picture may prove the more pressing concern. Both Havertz and Musiala were awaiting MRI results and are expected to miss at least Germany's next fixture. Brobbey, meanwhile, will miss the Netherlands' remaining three Nations League matches in this international block, with Xavi confirming he must call up a replacement.
Reporting: ESPN, talkSPORT, UEFA (Official), DW, Sky Sports, Daily Mail, CaughtOffside, The Guardian, Bundesliga (Official), GiveMeSport.