Germany claimed a 2-0 victory over Serbia at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday evening in their UEFA Nations League League A fixture. The hosts never looked in danger of losing, but the scoreline barely reflected their control of proceedings. Tom Bischof opened the scoring in the 39th minute before Florian Wirtz doubled the advantage shortly after the restart. And here's the thing — this was exactly the result we predicted back when the fixtures were drawn.
Bischof's goal came from sustained pressure, with Germany's 74 per cent possession finally telling. The striker finished a move that involved 153 attacks in total, though the conversion rate was far from impressive. Wirtz made it 2-0 in the 61st minute, capitalising on Serbia's inability to clear their lines under pressure. By then, the Serbian side had managed just one shot on target all evening.
What struck me watching was how Serbia were man-marked through midfield, particularly by Nemanja Gudelj who picked up a yellow card in the 73rd minute. The visitors attempted 266 passes compared to Germany's 734, and their expected goals figure of 0.01 tells the story. To be fair, they set up to defend deep, but that strategy only worked until the 45th minute when Serge Gnabry was substituted.
The statistics paint a picture of complete domination. Germany created six big chances and registered eight shots on target, with their expected goals figure of 3.9 suggesting the result could have been even wider. Serbia's goalkeeper made six saves from minimal opportunities, while the hosts' 12 corners and 27 crosses went largely unanswered. The clean-sheet run came to an end for the visitors, who now sit bottom of the group with zero points from two games.
Substitutions came thick and fast in the second half as Germany managed the game. Nick Woltemade and Tom Bischof were both replaced in the 77th minute, while Serbia brought on Dušan Tadić and three others in a single window at 67 minutes. The visitors ended with two more yellow cards for Nemanja Maksimović and Veljko Paunovic, both booked in the 79th minute as frustration mounted.
The result keeps Germany in third place with one point from two matches, though their recent form suggests they're finding their levels. Serbia's defeat means they remain on zero points after two losses, having failed to score in both games. The hosts now have their eye on the final round, while the visitors face a difficult task to salvage anything from this campaign.
