German midfielder Nico scores last-minute goal to help Joachim Loew's side register dramatic 3-2 win over the Netherlands in Euro 2020 qualifiers
Germany's Nico Schulz celebrates his goal against the Netherlands in Amsterdam. Pic/Getty Images
Nico Schulz's 90th-minute winner fired Germany to a dramatic 3-2 victory over the Netherlands in their opening Euro 2020 qualifier on Sunday, lifting the pressure off coach Joachim Loew. It was Germany's first win in a competitive game since last year's World Cup, and came after a game in which Loew's side showed strength and fragility in equal measure.
Germans off with a bang
The Germans were magnificent in the first 45 minutes in Amsterdam, but were outplayed in the second half as the Dutch came back from 2-0 down against their rivals for the second time since November. Yet Schulz prodded in a last-gasp winner against the run of play to hand Germany the win. "The win will do us a lot of good, it is great for us as a team," Schulz told RTL.
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Loew praised his team's fighting spirit after a rollercoaster evening. "We played really well in the first half, but in the second we weren't on the same level," the Germany coach said. "I was impressed by how hard the team fought, and how they kept on believing until the end. Full credit to them. When my team play as well as they did, then I am positive, regardless of what is going on off the field."
Hazard scores ton
Elsewhere, Chelsea star Hazard celebrated his 100th cap by scoring the opener in their 2-0 win over Cyprus in Group I with Michy Batshuayi grabbing the second as Real Madrid's Thibaut Courtois went largely untested in the goal. Also, Luka Modric was powerless to stop beaten World Cup finalists Croatia from slipping to a 1-2 defeat to Hungary in a Group E match. Mate Patkai notched a 76th minute winner in Budapest.
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