--- title: "UEFA Nations League: Netherlands escape Germany in Xavi and Klopp's debut matches, Haaland scored a double against Denmark" description: "On the first matchday of the UEFA Nations League group stage, the Netherlands and Germany drew 1:1 in Xavi and Klopp's debut matches, while Haaland's double brought Norway a win over Denmark." date: 2026-09-24T21:20:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/uefa-nations-league-first-group-stage-matches tags: [uefa-nations-league, netherlands-germany, erling-haaland, cristiano-ronaldo, jorge-jesus, jurgen-klopp] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # UEFA Nations League: Netherlands escape Germany in Xavi and Klopp's debut matches, Haaland scored a double against Denmark ![Erling Haaland in the Norway national team jersey during the UEFA Nations League match against Germany](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/25/liga-natsiy-uefa-pervye-matchi-gruppovogo-etapa/liga-natsiy-uefa-pervye-matchi-gruppovogo-etapa-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - The Netherlands and Germany drew 1:1 in Xavi and Klopp's debut matches; the goals were scored by Nmecha (32') and Gakpo (in stoppage time). - Erling Haaland scored a double and brought Norway a 3:2 win over Denmark. - Portugal, under debutant manager Jorge Jesus, beat Wales; Ronaldo's goal was disallowed for offside, while Joao Felix scored (22'). - Greece snatched a win from Serbia, Kosovo beat Ireland 1:0, Austria won 3:1 against Israel, Malta handled Andorra 2:1, and Lithuania beat Liechtenstein. The first matchday of the group stage of the 2026/2027 UEFA Nations League season delivered several storylines that will be discussed for a long time. The central event was the match in Amsterdam, where the Netherlands hosted Germany, while in parallel, in the northern derby, Norway hosted Denmark, and Portugal, under new manager Jorge Jesus, opened a new chapter in their history with a match against Wales. By the end of the day, none of the top teams had secured a comfortable win, and it was the individual actions of certain players and goals scored in the final minutes that proved decisive. ### Xavi and Klopp's debuts: Amsterdam produced no winner The main match of the day brought together two managers for whom the encounter was their first in charge of their national teams: Xavi made his debut as head coach of the "Oranje," while Jurgen Klopp led the German team for the first time. The "Bundesteam" were close to pleasing their new manager with a win: Felix Nmecha put Germany ahead in the 32nd minute. However, Cody Gakpo equalised in stoppage time of the second half and saved the Netherlands from defeat — the final score was 1:1. Thus, both debutants left without a win, but also without a loss, which, in the context of the first match of a new cycle, looks like a compromise result. ### Haaland decides the northern derby In the Norway — Denmark match, the factor of Erling Haaland predictably decided everything. The Norwegian leader scored a double and became the star of the encounter, bringing his team a 3:2 victory. The Danes tried to fight back and take at least one point, but in the end they lost, while the Norwegians banked three points in the opening round of the group stage. ### A new era for Portugal and Ronaldo's disallowed goal The Portuguese national team opened a new chapter in their history: the team is now coached by Jorge Jesus, and his first test was the match against Wales. As early as the 22nd minute, Joao Felix put Portugal ahead. Cristiano Ronaldo scored early in the second half, but the goal was disallowed for offside. In the end, Portugal won, sealing the start of the new managerial cycle with a positive result. ### Greece, Kosovo and Austria: results from the other divisions The Greek national team won away against Serbia: despite conceding a goal in the 4th minute, the Greeks equalised and ultimately snatched the win, with the decisive goal scored by Anastasios Douvikas. In League B, Kosovo beat Ireland by a single goal, 1:0 — the only goal was scored by Vedat Muriqi in the 83rd minute; in the Kosovo squad, forward Baton Zarbegja of "Kharkiv" played 73 minutes. In Linz, Austria beat Israel: with the score 1:1, in the 89th minute Philipp Mwene put the Austrians ahead, and in stoppage time Sasha Kalajdzic made the final score 3:1. ### The weakest division: Malta and Lithuania without upsets In the weakest division of the Nations League, two matches were also played. Malta handled Andorra away with a score of 2:1. Lithuania, for its part, did not allow Liechtenstein to pull off a sensation: early in the second half the Lithuanians scored two goals and saw the job through to victory, keeping their goal intact. Thus, the first matchday of the Nations League ended without major upsets, but with several intriguing storylines that set the tone for the entire group stage. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Nations League: Klopp's debut, Haaland's double and Portugal's success](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/football/liga-natsiy-debyutna-peremoga-kloppa-dubl-1790284653.html) - Первичный текст с полным описанием всех матчей дня: Нидерланды—Германия 1:1 (Нмече 32', Гакпо в компенсированное время), Норвегия—Дания 3:2 (дубль Холланда), победа Португалии над Уэльсом (Феликс 22', отменённый гол Роналду), Греция—Сербия, Косово—Ирландия 1:0, Австрия—Израиль 3:1, Мальта—Андорра 2:1, Литва—Лихтенштейн. - [Gakpo spoils it for the former coach. Netherlands – Germany 1:1. Match video review](https://www.ua-football.com/video/foreign/1790286292-gakpo-omrachil-yeks-trenera-niderlandy-germaniya-1-1-videoobzor-matcha.html) - Подтверждает счёт 1:1 в матче Нидерланды—Германия и решающий гол Коди Гакпо в компенсированное время. - [Netherlands - Germany: preview of the Nations League top match](https://korrespondent.net/sport/4914484-nyderlandy-hermanyia-anons-top-matcha-lyhy-natsyi) - Анонс матча, подтверждает факт проведения встречи и её статус топ-матча дня; результат не содержит, использован как контекст. - [Netherlands — Germany: result of the 24 September 2026 match, score 1:1, 1st round of the Nations League group stage ...](https://www.championat.com/football/news-6632408-niderlandy-germaniya-rezultat-matcha-24-sentyabrya-2026-schet-1-1-1-j-tur-gruppovogo-etapa-ligi-nacij-ligi-a-2026-2027.html) - Подтверждает дату матча (24 сентября 2026), счёт 1:1 и принадлежность к 1-му туру группового этапа Лиги А сезона 2026/2027. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: What was the result of the Netherlands — Germany match? **A:** The match ended 1:1. Felix Nmecha put Germany ahead in the 32nd minute, while Cody Gakpo equalised in stoppage time of the second half, saving the Netherlands from defeat. For Xavi and Jurgen Klopp, these were their debut matches in charge of their national teams. ### Q: Who scored in the Norway — Denmark match? **A:** Norway won 3:2, and the main star was Erling Haaland, who scored a double and brought his team victory in the northern derby. ### Q: Who is the new manager of the Portuguese national team and how did his first game go? **A:** The Portuguese national team is now coached by Jorge Jesus. In his debut match against Wales, the Portuguese won: Joao Felix scored in the 22nd minute, while Cristiano Ronaldo's goal early in the second half was disallowed for offside. ### Q: What other matches were played on the first matchday of the Nations League? **A:** Greece beat Serbia away (decisive goal by Anastasios Douvikas), Kosovo won 1:0 against Ireland (Vedat Muriqi, 83'), Austria beat Israel 3:1 (Mwene and Kalajdzic in the closing stages), Malta handled Andorra 2:1, and Lithuania beat Liechtenstein.