Netherlands 1–1 Germany: Match Analysis & Statistics

Netherlands 1-1 Germany Match Analysis and Statistics

Netherlands and Germany played out a 1-1 draw, with Cody Gakpo scoring a late equaliser after Felix Nmecha had given Germany the lead.

The Netherlands and Germany played out a 1–1 draw, with Germany taking the lead through Felix Nmecha in the 32nd minute before Cody Gakpo equalised in the 90+2nd minute.

The statistics tell a clear story: the Netherlands controlled more of the game and created considerably more attacking pressure, but Germany's defensive resilience and Marc-André ter Stegen's goalkeeping kept them ahead for most of the match.

Match Summary

Statistic	Netherlands	Germany
Final score	1	1
Expected goals (xG)	3.11	1.50
Possession	54%	46%
Total shots	22	10
Shots on target	10	2
Big chances	4	2
Corners	12	1
Passes	347/408 (85%)	302/368 (82%)
xG on target	2.87	0.96
Touches in opposition box	43	26
Expected assists	2.99	1.54
Fouls	11	16
Yellow cards	4	1
Saves	1	9

First Half Analysis

The Netherlands started aggressively and immediately tried to put Germany under pressure.

Tijjani Reijnders had an effort blocked in the opening stages before the Netherlands thought they had taken the lead through Virgil van Dijk from a corner in the 12th minute. However, VAR intervened and the goal was ruled out following a foul in the build-up.

That moment was important because the Netherlands continued creating opportunities afterwards.

Crysencio Summerville got into dangerous positions, while Quinten Timber also tried his luck from outside the box. Cody Gakpo then came close twice, with ter Stegen producing saves to deny him.

Germany's breakthrough

Despite having less possession and considerably fewer attacking opportunities, Germany found the opening goal in the 32nd minute.

Younes Ebnoutalib's effort was saved by Bart Verbruggen, but the rebound fell to Felix Nmecha, who reacted quickly to fire the ball into the net.

Netherlands 0–1 Germany.

This was a good example of the difference between possession and efficiency. Germany had fewer attacking numbers but were able to punish the Netherlands when the opportunity appeared.

Germany also had another promising opportunity when Karim Adeyemi fired just over the bar in the 39th minute.

Netherlands' Attack Was the Main Story

The most striking statistic was the 22–10 advantage in total shots.

The Netherlands produced more than twice as many attempts as Germany:

Netherlands: 22 shots
Germany: 10 shots

More importantly, the Dutch put 10 shots on target, compared with only 2 from Germany.

That means Germany's goalkeeper was placed under enormous pressure.

The Netherlands also recorded:

16 shots inside the box
43 touches in Germany's penalty area
4 big chances
12 corners
2.99 xA

Germany had only:

7 shots inside the box
26 touches in the penalty area
2 big chances
1 corner
1.54 xA

This indicates that the Netherlands were consistently getting into dangerous attacking areas rather than simply shooting from distance.

Ter Stegen Keeps Germany Ahead

One of the biggest reasons Germany remained in front was Marc-André ter Stegen.

He made 9 saves, while Bart Verbruggen needed only 1.

That is a huge difference.

The commentary provides several examples of Germany's goalkeeper keeping the Netherlands in check.

In the 42nd minute, Gakpo received the ball inside the box and directed a low effort towards the left post, but ter Stegen reacted quickly.

A minute later, Gakpo's rebound effort was also saved.

Then in the second half:

60' — ter Stegen produced an excellent save to deny Denzel Dumfries.
73' — he comfortably stopped Mexx Meerdink.
89' — he made another decent save from Ruben van Bommel.

The statistical picture reinforces this.

The Netherlands had 2.87 xG on target, compared with Germany's 0.96.

Yet both teams scored once.

That suggests Germany's goalkeeper made a significant difference between the quality of chances the Netherlands generated and the actual scoreline.

Germany's Defensive Resilience

Germany were under sustained pressure, particularly during the second half.

The Netherlands recorded 12 corners compared with Germany's one, and several of those set pieces produced dangerous situations.

At 61 minutes, Van Dijk rose highest from a corner but his close-range effort was blocked.

Moments later, Meerdink's rebound was blocked inside the box.

Germany also survived a major scare in the 71st minute when Philipp Treu's rebound appeared to beat Verbruggen, only for a Netherlands defender to make a goal-line clearance.

So although Germany conceded considerable territory, their defenders repeatedly prevented the Netherlands from converting their pressure into goals.

Germany registered 29 clearances, compared with 25 by the Netherlands.

The Netherlands Eventually Get Their Reward

The Netherlands continued pushing forward after the interval.

Dumfries was particularly involved, producing attacking runs and getting into the penalty area. Meerdink also became increasingly dangerous after replacing the injured Brobbey.

Then came the equaliser.

90+2' — Cody Gakpo 1–1

Ruben van Bommel delivered the cross and Cody Gakpo connected with a first-time volley, sending the ball inside the right post.

It was an excellent finish and finally rewarded the Netherlands for their sustained attacking pressure.

The goal was particularly significant because the Netherlands had already accumulated:

22 shots
10 shots on target
4 big chances
12 corners
3.11 xG

Germany had spent much of the second half defending their lead, but the pressure eventually became too much.

xG Analysis

The 3.11–1.50 xG advantage is one of the clearest indicators of how the match developed.

Netherlands — 3.11 xG

The Netherlands generated a high volume of opportunities and repeatedly entered dangerous areas.

Their 16 shots inside the box and 10 shots on target demonstrate that the high xG wasn't simply created by speculative attempts.

They also produced 2.87 xG on target, showing that the shots they put on target were generally dangerous.

Germany — 1.50 xG

Germany's xG was respectable despite producing only 10 shots.

Their biggest moments included Adeyemi's opportunity and Nmecha's goal.

However, Germany managed only two shots on target, meaning their attacking output was much less consistent than the Netherlands'.

Possession Was Close — But Territory Wasn't

The possession figures were relatively balanced:

Netherlands 54% – 46% Germany

But the attacking statistics show that possession translated into considerably more attacking territory for the Netherlands.

The Netherlands had:

43 touches in the opposition box vs 26

and

12 corners vs 1.

This is important because it shows that the Dutch weren't merely passing the ball around.

They were using their possession to move the ball into dangerous areas.

Passing Analysis

The Netherlands completed 347 of 408 passes (85%), while Germany completed 302 of 368 (82%).

The Dutch were particularly effective in the final third:

Netherlands: 88/121 — 73%
Germany: 79/104 — 76%

Interestingly, Germany had the slightly better final-third completion rate despite completing fewer passes overall.

Germany were also more accurate with crosses:

Netherlands: 11/28 — 39%
Germany: 2/8 — 25%

The Netherlands' 28 crossing attempts underline how frequently they tried to exploit wide areas and supply the penalty box.

The Importance of Substitutions

Both teams were forced into changes during the match.

Netherlands

Brian Brobbey was forced off after picking up an injury in the first half, with Mexx Meerdink entering in the 35th minute.

Meerdink subsequently became involved in several dangerous moments.

Quinten Timber was replaced by Joey Veerman in the 57th minute.

Later, Xavi introduced:

Guus Til for Tijjani Reijnders
Ruben van Bommel for Crysencio Summerville

Van Bommel was particularly important because he provided the cross for Gakpo's equaliser.

Germany

Germany also lost Kai Havertz to injury after 30 minutes.

Younes Ebnoutalib replaced him.

Nmecha, who had scored Germany's goal, was later replaced by Anton Stach.

Kevin Schade was replaced by Chris Führich, while Amiri and Adeyemi were eventually replaced by Yannik Engelhardt and Serge Gnabry.

Defensive Comparison

Germany actually recorded more clearances:

Germany 29 – 25 Netherlands

while the Netherlands had more interceptions:

Netherlands 10 – 5 Germany

The Dutch also won considerably more duels:

Netherlands 51 – 36 Germany.

Germany committed more fouls:

16 – 11.

This reflects a match in which Germany frequently had to defend against Netherlands' attacking movements, particularly as the game progressed.

Key Turning Points

1. Van Dijk's disallowed goal — 12th minute

The Netherlands appeared to take the lead from a corner, but VAR ruled it out.

This denied the Netherlands an early advantage.

2. Brobbey's injury — 35th minute

The Netherlands lost their starting striker and had to introduce Meerdink earlier than planned.

3. Nmecha's goal — 32nd minute

Germany capitalised on a rebound and took the lead despite producing considerably less attacking pressure.

4. Ter Stegen's saves

The Germany goalkeeper repeatedly prevented the Netherlands from converting their chances.

His nine saves were crucial to Germany maintaining their advantage.

5. Treu's goal-line clearance — 71st minute

Germany survived another major opportunity when Treu's effort was cleared off the line.

6. Gakpo's equaliser — 90+2

After sustained pressure throughout the second half, Gakpo finally brought the Netherlands level with a superb volley.

Player Impact

Cody Gakpo — Netherlands

Gakpo was one of the Netherlands' most dangerous attacking players.

He had multiple attempts saved before eventually finding the breakthrough in stoppage time.

His equalising goal was also technically excellent, finishing a cross first time.

Major contribution: goal + constant attacking threat.

Marc-André ter Stegen — Germany

Ter Stegen was arguably the busiest player on the pitch.

His 9 saves compared with Verbruggen's one demonstrate how much pressure Germany absorbed.

His performance was particularly important because the Netherlands generated 3.11 xG.

Denzel Dumfries — Netherlands

Dumfries repeatedly attacked from the right side and was involved in several dangerous situations.

He had an excellent opportunity in the second half that was saved by ter Stegen.

Felix Nmecha — Germany

Nmecha scored Germany's only goal and reacted quickest to the rebound.

His goal gave Germany a platform from which they could defend their advantage.

Ruben van Bommel — Netherlands

His late introduction proved valuable.

He helped create late pressure and supplied the cross that Gakpo converted for the equaliser.

Why Did the Match End 1–1?

The statistics suggest two contrasting performances.

The Netherlands dominated the attacking numbers but struggled to convert their opportunities into goals.

Germany, meanwhile, created fewer opportunities but took advantage of one of their important moments and then relied heavily on defensive organisation and goalkeeping.

The Netherlands had:

22 shots → 10 on target → 3.11 xG → 1 goal

Germany had:

10 shots → 2 on target → 1.50 xG → 1 goal

That tells the story extremely well.

The Netherlands created the greater volume and quality of attacking opportunities, but Germany's goalkeeper and defensive interventions repeatedly kept the score in their favour.

Final Assessment

The 1–1 scoreline does not fully reflect the balance of attacking play.

The Netherlands had the stronger statistical performance, controlling possession, dominating shots, winning the corner count 12–1, creating more big chances and recording more than double Germany's xG.

Germany, however, showed considerable resilience after taking the lead.

The Netherlands' inability to convert their earlier opportunities allowed Germany to remain in the game until the final minutes. Eventually, sustained pressure produced the equaliser when Gakpo volleyed home in the second minute of stoppage time.

Final statistical picture

Final score: Netherlands 1–1 Germany.

Sources:
Flashscore.mobi — Netherlands vs Germany, match statistics and live match events.

AFP — Last-gasp Gakpo strike snatches Dutch draw to sour Klopp debut.

Goal.com — Netherlands player ratings vs Germany: Cody Gakpo rescues a point.

Thursday, September 24, 2026

Netherlands 1-1 Germany: Match Analysis, Stats, xG & Key Moments