Gakpo rescues Netherlands with stoppage-time equalizer against Germany

VAR denied Virgil van Dijk a goal in the 12th minute, and that call ended up shaping the entire match. The Netherlands dominated, doubled Germany's shot count and still went into halftime behind. In the end, a reviewed header, an early German goal and a last-gasp strike from Cody Gakpo produced a 1-1 final score at the Johan Cruijff ArenA in the UEFA Nations League.

The match opened with the Netherlands pressing forward, and Quinten Timber and Tijjani Reijnders both had chances before the quarter-hour mark. The clearest opportunity came in the 12th minute, when Van Dijk headed the ball into the net, only for VAR to overturn the goal a minute later, keeping the score level at zero. It was the first psychological blow of the night for the home side.

Germany, which had struggled to build out of the back, found its reward on its first real chance. In the 31st minute, after Karim Adeyemi's shot was blocked, Felix Nmecha pounced from close range to poke the ball in by the left post, making it 0-1. The goal came just a minute after Adeyemi had given a warning with another shot, part of a quick sequence the Netherlands couldn't stop in time.

With the lead in hand, Germany dropped back while the Netherlands kept pushing forward without finding the breakthrough. Crysencio Summerville, Micky van de Ven and Gakpo himself all tried their luck before the break, but Marc ter Stegen and Germany's defense held firm each time. The first half ended with Germany ahead on the scoreboard despite seeing far less of the ball.

The second half followed the same pattern: the Netherlands controlling possession and racking up corners (building a significant advantage over Germany in that category), while Germany defended in a compact block and looked to hit on the counter through Adeyemi. Denzel Dumfries, Van Dijk again and Mexx Meerdink, who had come on after Brian Brobbey went off injured, all had chances go unrewarded in a string of shots inside Germany's box past the hour mark.

The Netherlands' persistence finally paid off in stoppage time. In the 91st minute, a cross from Ruben van Bommel, who had come on a few minutes earlier alongside Guus Til, found Gakpo in the middle of the box for the equalizing 1-1, the reward for a second half spent laying siege to Germany's goal.

The numbers behind the Dutch dominance

The stats confirm what unfolded on the field: the Netherlands were far superior in offensive output, even if they couldn't turn that into more goals over the 90 minutes.

The xG calculated after the fact from the match's shots backs up that dominance as well: 3.008 for the Netherlands compared to 1.784 for Germany. It's a measure of what was generated during the match, not a prediction, but it makes clear the home side deserved more than what the scoreboard showed until the 91st minute.

The draw leaves both teams with a point in Group A2 after the opening matchday, level also on goal difference, while Greece opened with a win and Serbia with a loss. For the Netherlands, the lingering frustration will be that disallowed goal early on; for Germany, the takeaway is having held the lead for nearly the entire match despite seeing less of the ball and creating fewer chances.