Stuttgart's Jamie Leweling had a dream debut for Germany, scoring the winning goal in their 1-0 victory over the Netherlands in the Nations League on Monday, effectively securing his country's place in the next round. The 23-year-old initially saw his second-minute effort disallowed for offside, but he made no mistake in the 64th minute, firing into the top corner after the Dutch failed to clear a corner.
Before the match, Germany held a farewell tribute for Ilkay Gündogan, Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller, and Toni Kroos, who have retired from international football. There was also a minute's silence in memory of Johan Neeskens and Dieter Burdenski following their recent deaths.
Germany dominated from the start, creating opportunities for Tim Kleindienst and Maximilian Mittelstädt as the Dutch struggled to gain a foothold in the game. Serge Gnabry came close before Leweling secured the win. The visitors, who were without Virgil van Dijk due to suspension, failed to register a shot on target in the first half but improved after the break, with Xavi Simons and Donyell Malen both having chances to equalize late on.
"We won as a team. I scored, but we played well and I'm happy to have contributed," Leweling said. "The Dutch are a strong team. We let them run, kept possession, and took our chances to score."
Germany leads Group A3 with 10 points from four matches, virtually assured of a spot in the next round, with the Netherlands five points behind in second place. In the same group, Hungary moved level with the Netherlands on five points after Dominik Szoboszlai scored twice in a 2-0 win over Bosnia in Zenica.
In Group A2, Italy's Giovanni Di Lorenzo scored twice in a 4-1 win over Israel, helping Luciano Spalletti's side take a significant step towards the quarter-finals. Italy remains top of the group with 10 points, one ahead of France, who beat Belgium 2-1 thanks to two goals from Randal Kolo Muani. Italy needs at least one point from their remaining two games to secure a place in the next round.
Italy's Mateo Retegui opened the scoring with a penalty in the 41st minute, and Di Lorenzo added the second after the break with a header from Giacomo Raspadori's free kick. Mohammad Abu Fani pulled one back for Israel with a direct corner goal in the 66th minute, but Federico Dimarco and Di Lorenzo sealed the win with further goals. Daniel Maldini, son of Paolo, made his debut for Italy in the second half.
Group B4 leaders Turkey strengthened their position with a 4-2 win over Iceland in Reykjavík, scoring all their goals after the hour mark. In the same group, Wales secured a 1-0 win over Montenegro in Cardiff thanks to a Harry Wilson penalty.
Georgia suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Albania in Group B1, while the Czech Republic missed an opportunity to capitalize as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Ukraine. Slovakia maintained their unbeaten run at the top of Group C1 with a 3-1 win in Azerbaijan, and Sweden coasted to a 3-0 victory in Estonia with Sebastian Nanasi scoring twice.
