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Greece hand Klopp first defeat as Germany manager / Photo: © AFP
Greece hand Klopp first defeat as Germany manager
Jurgen Klopp tasted defeat for the first time as Germany manager as his side lost 1-0 to Greece in Augsburg on Sunday, with Dimitrios Kourbelis scoring the only goal.
In his first game on home soil, Klopp's side offered little in attack and lacked the energy they had displayed on the former Liverpool coach's debut in a 1-1 away draw with the Netherlands on Thursday.
The Germans had struggled to find a way through the Greek defence for the opening hour before the visitors broke through on the counter, with Kourbelis scoring in the 74th minute.
It was Greece's first ever win against Germany.
Several regulars missed out with Klopp trying to get a better idea of the talent at his disposal, but the defeat illustrated the scale of his task in reviving the flagging giants.
The 59-year-old took over Germany in July after the four-time World Cup winners were eliminated at the last-32 stage of the global showpiece in North America, their third consecutive early exit from the tournament.
Klopp had included 16 uncapped players in his 44-man squad as he warned that he would be using the competition to have a look at the players at his disposal.
Among the five alterations to his starting XI was Hoffenheim midfielder Bambase Conte, a shock call-up after playing just four top-flight matches.
Conte looked sharp and shot just wide with two minutes gone.
Barcelona forward Karim Adeyemi had the best chance of the opening half when he stormed past the Greek defence on the counter, but sprayed his shot just over the crossbar.
Conte was again dangerous after the break, forcing a low fingertip save from Greek goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis.
With Germany dominating possession but offering little in attack, the visitors grew bolder and more incisive on the counter and should have taken the lead when Fotis Ioannidis blasted wide of the goal with just Alexander Nuebel to beat.
Greece broke through moments later, however, when Kourbelis's low shot took a wicked deflection off Joshua Kimmich and rolled into the bottom left corner.
Greece then held firm for a breakthrough win over Germany, after seven defeats and three draws dating back to 1960.
H. Müller--BTZ
