Germany Stay In Play-Off Hunt With Win Over Doomed Serbia
Brajan Gruda announced himself on his Germany debut with a stunning solo goal as Jurgen Klopp's side cruised past nine-man Serbia 3-1, keeping their play-off hopes alive and sending the hosts tumbling into League B.
Gruda shines on debut as Germany ease past Serbia 3-1 in Belgrade...
Germany kept their push for the Nations League play-offs on track with a 3-1 win over Serbia, who ended the game with nine men and saw their relegation from League A confirmed after losing all five of their matches so far.
Serbia just cannot catch a break in this competition, or in 2026 in general. Their hopes of a great escape from relegation were dealt a huge blow inside the opening three minutes.
Maximilian Mittelstadt whipped in the corner, Kai Havertz got the flick, and a crucial deflection off Srdjan Babic sent it trickling into the bottom corner.
Just ten minutes later, Germany doubled their lead. Vanja Milinkovic-Savic kept out Havertz's first effort, but Florian Wirtz was first to the rebound, lifting it over the goalkeeper and bundling it over the line.
The hosts at least had something to cling to at the break. They were still only two down, even if Havertz and Jonathan Tah should have made it worse.
Any hope of a second-half fightback lasted barely a blink. Brajan Gruda, on his Germany debut, picked the ball up inside his own half, bullied Stefan Gudelj off it, surged forward and buried a left-footed finish into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.
Serbia finally had something to celebrate six minutes later. Babic went from villain to scorer, reacting quickest to slot home the rebound after Marc-Andre ter Stegen pushed Gudelj's header back into danger.
Paunovic rolled the dice and threw on Aleksandar Mitrovic, Serbia's all-time top scorer. Within moments, he was already forcing Ter Stegen into action.
But the game was gone. After a trip to the VAR monitor, referee Javier Alberola Rojas decided Vanja Dragojevic's stamp on Joshua Kimmich's ankle was a straight red, and Serbia's night went from bad to worse.
Germany saw out the final 15 minutes with ease, and Serbia's misery was complete when Andrija Zivkovic was also sent off for dissent towards the referee.
The Netherlands may have thrashed Greece tonight, but the equation is simple now. Beat the Oranje on Monday and Jurgen Klopp's Germany will most likely have what they need to reach the play-offs.
Serbia simply could not cope with the demands of a brutal Group A2. They will start the next Nations League cycle in League B, having lost eight of their nine matches this calendar year.
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