Italy is in mourning, and so is Germany: Defeat against Greece, “We’re no longer a powerhouse”

If Italy is in tears, Germany certainly isn’t faring any better. While the Azzurri are preparing for Monday’s match against Turkey, hoping to put last Friday’s crushing home defeat against Belgium behind them, the German national team has seen fit to follow in the footsteps of its eternal rivals. Jürgen Klopp watched as his team dominated but ultimately lost in Augsburg to a cynical, highly organized, and lethal Greek side. Dimitrios Kourbelis’s goal in the 74th minute proved decisive, sealing the 0-1 final score. And after a 2026 World Cup that was lackluster at best (with elimination in the round of 16), now even the country that was crowned world champion as recently as 2014 is seriously beginning to question the state of its soccer.

Germany, after all, has struggled considerably on the international stage ever since winning the final at Brazil 2014 (a World Cup in which, incidentally, they defeated the host nation, Brazil, by a score of 7-1). It reached the semifinals at Euro 2020 but was eliminated from the 2018 and 2022 World Cups in the group stage, before putting in a performance in the U.S. that was far from impressive. The subsequent European Championships were also disappointing, marked by elimination in the round of 16 in both 2021 and 2024. And after the home loss to Greece—the first in history—legend Bastian Schweinsteiger delivered a scathing verdict: “We are no longer a top-tier national team. Forget about being a powerhouse—we’ve become a mediocre national team. We don’t have anyone who can make a difference, while players like Karetsas, Tzolis, and Pavlidis can.” The process has begun, and one aspect that Germans are certainly unlikely to appreciate is that they are starting to resemble Italy quite closely.

It must be said that the Greek team capable of conquering Augsburg certainly didn’t get there by accident. The Greeks, led by coach Ivan Jovanovic, had already sent a very strong signal on the first matchday of the group stage, winning in dramatic but well-deserved fashion at the Marakana in Belgrade against Serbia. On that occasion, after falling behind on a goal by Zivkovic, the Greeks turned the game around with goals from Tzolis and a game-winning header by Tasos Douvikas in the 95th minute—a Como forward who is having an extraordinary season. That comeback had already demonstrated the caliber of this Greek team, capable of weathering pressure, fighting back, and striking with lethal precision at decisive moments—exactly what they did against Germany as well.

From Germany’s perspective, the loss to Greece weighs even heavier when considering the context in which Klopp began his tenure as coach of the Mannschaft. The Stuttgart coach, appointed after Julian Nagelsmann’s resignation following Germany’s elimination in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup against Paraguay, had chosen an exceptionally ambitious approach: a double roster of 44 players called up for the first four Nations League matches, with the stated goal of broadening the squad and testing as many players as possible. This strategy reflected a desire to rebuild from the ground up, but so far it has not produced the hoped-for results. Even the opening-match draw against the Netherlands—another national team coming off a disappointing World Cup with a Round of 16 exit—had raised some doubts. Now, the home loss to Greece has turned those doubts into cause for alarm.

Among Klopp’s controversial decisions was the exclusion of Nicolò Tresoldi, the Club Brugge forward who in recent months had publicly stated that he wanted to represent Germany rather than Italy. His name was considered among the most likely to be included in the Mannschaft’s new era, yet the coach had decided not to call him up for either squad. A decision that now, in light of the offensive problems that emerged against Greece—with Musiala and Havertz forced to sit out Sunday night’s match—appears even more questionable in the eyes of German critics, who are growing increasingly impatient.