03/10/2026

SPORTS SATURDAY | OCT 3, 2026

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Klopp averts crisis with first win against Serbia

JURGEN KLOPP celebrated his first win as Germany manager yesterday as his side eased to a 2-0 win against Serbia in the third fixture of their Nations League campaign. Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz and Bayern Munich’s Tom Bischof both found the net as a youthful Germany made short work of a lacklustre Serbia team in Munich. It was a win that lifted the pressure on the new national team boss, after he began his tenure with a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands and a shock 1 0 defeat to Greece last weekend. Another loss, or a draw, would have made Klopp the first Germany coach in history not to win any of his first three

corner. Klopp reserved special praise for the Liverpool player, who has faced criti cism in England for his club form recently. “The rhythm has to be: easy, easy, easy, Flo, Flo, Flo, Wirtz, Wirtz, Wirtz,“ said the Germany coach. “A perform ance like that helps us, but it also helps him. “If he was out of form, we wouldn’t just let him play anyway. But he’s in form and he showed that in training and today.” – AFP

unmarked Bischof smashed the ball in on the rebound. The game continued in the same vein after the break, as Germany contin ued to pin Serbia back into their own final third. Juventus’ Nick Woltemade should have doubled the lead on 59 minutes but skied the ball high over the bar from a metre in front of goal. Wirtz spared his teammate’s blushes a moment later, making space for him self in the box with a brilliant first touch and slotting the ball into the bottom

The young team showed a marked improvement on the turgid perform ance against Greece last week, albeit against underwhelming opposition. Aleksandar Pavlovic, Serge Gnabry and Bischof all had chances in the first half hour, while Serbia mustered only one dangerous counter-attack through Filip Kostic. The hosts finally broke through shortly before half-time thanks to some elegant footwork from Wirtz. Wirtz danced through a maze of legs in the box and hit the post, before an

games in charge. Instead, victory marked a cautious sense of optimism for the four-time world champions, as they look to return to the international elite under Klopp. “The mix of football and attitude was top level today. I told the boys that this has to be our benchmark,” Klopp told public broadcaster ZDF . His players sang his praises in return. “Jurgen is a coach that pulls people along with him. We saw that today and I hope it continues into the future,” said Bischof.

No CR7, no problem Portugal shrugs off Ronaldo absence to beat Denmark P ORTUGAL shrugged off the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo to beat Denmark 4-2 in Copenhagen yesterday and maintain their perfect start to the Uefa Nations League. Portugal regained the lead just two minutes later when Ramos converted Bruno Fernandes’ pass, but Hojlund restored parity eight minutes into the sec ond half after being played through by Damsgaard. The visitors responded again, with Vitinha head ing home Fernandes’ cross in the 67th minute for his first international goal before Felix completed the scoring three minutes from time after a swift counter-attack. Joao Cancelo and Goncalo Ramos put Portugal ahead twice at Parken, but Denmark responded through Mikkel Damsgaard and Rasmus Hojlund before Vitinha and Joao Felix settled an entertaining Group A4 encounter. Cancelo opened the scoring in the 13th minute after exchanging passes with Ramos, only for Damsgaard to level 10 minutes later with a curling finish. The victory came after Ronaldo left Portugal’s training camp on Wednesday, but new coach Jorge Jesus said the controversy had not distracted his players.

Riise sets top 4 target for Reds

Ű BY ZIKRY MARZUKI

“What is important is what we have to do. The things that happen do not separate the group, they did not separate us and they will not separate us,” Jesus said after the match. The coach was particularly pleased with Portugal’s pressing and their improvement in pos session. “I feel that the team, game after game, is improving,” Jesus said. “Winning 4-2 here is not easy. Denmark are a big team, difficult to stop, with technical quality.” Vitinha, who scored Portugal’s third goal, described it as his side’s best performance since Jesus took charge. “It was the best performance we have had so far. We are growing,” said the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder, who also praised the coach’s influence. “It was my first header goal and my first for the national team. Better late than never,” Vitinha joked after opening his international account. Ramos, who started in place of Ronaldo and scored for the second successive match, also cred ited Jesus with bringing greater clarity to Portugal’s play. “The new coach also helps a lot. We have clearer ideas, we know exactly where each team mate is, both defending and attacking,” Ramos said. Francisco Trincao admitted it had been diffi cult for the players to completely ignore the con troversy surrounding Ronaldo. “Obviously it is difficult, but I don’t want to talk about the situation because I respect everyone,” he said. “We played a very good game.” Denmark captain Morten Hjulmand said Portugal’s quality ultimately made the difference. “To be honest, they are a better team than us, but we tried to show our qualities, press and create chances,” he said. Portugal now lead Group A4 with nine points from three matches, while Denmark have three. – AFP/Agencies must be humble and recognise that we played against a superpower,” Tsimikas said. “In the end, that point we earned may prove to be very valuable.” Van Dijk, winning his 99th cap, admitted the Netherlands had been well below their standards before the interval. “I wish I had an answer for that right now, but indeed, it’s unacceptable,” the captain said. “It just wasn’t good enough in the first half.” The Netherlands’ response leaves them unbeaten after three matches, while Greece remain top of the group after earlier victories over Serbia and Germany. Greece will now face Germany again, with Jovanovic warning that fatigue could become a factor after the demanding schedule. “The rhythm of the matches is exhausting,” he said, pointing to the quality of the opposition and the short recovery period. – Agencies

JOHN ARNE RIISE believes Liverpool are in good hands under Andoni Iraola but admits his former club may not have what it takes to challenge for the Premier League title this season. The former defender believes the Reds have a chance of finishing in the top four after making a relatively strong start to the campaign. “I don’t see them winning the title. I am a Liverpool fan and always will be, but I’m always honest about my views and opinions. “I still think we are a little bit behind the top, top teams, but my target for this year is to finish in the top four. That would be a success for us this year and something we can build on,” he said. Liverpool currently sit sixth in the Premier League with nine points from five matches, having recorded two wins and three draws. Despite remaining unbeaten, the Reds’ performances have yet to fully convince fans and pundits, with Manchester City and Arsenal among the sides regarded as stronger title contenders. Liverpool can strengthen their position further when they face Manchester City at Anfield after the international break, with both teams still unbeaten this season. Riise said Liverpool also needed to find a better tactical balance, particularly when dealing with opponents’ counter-attacking threat. “What they have been missing in the last year is that passion and fighting spirit. For me, in the last six to eight months, Liverpool have been too open tactically, especially in midfield. “I think we are going too much forward and then losing that balance defensively, and I can see that opposition teams have noticed this,” he said. The former centreback was a key figure during his time at Liverpool, where his powerful and committed style of play made him a popular figure among the club’s supporters. In 348 appearances for the Reds, the Norway international won the Uefa Champions League, FA Cup and several other honours.

Portugal’s Joao Cancelo (centre) celebrates scoring the opening goal with teammates during the Nations League Group A4 match against Denmark at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen yesterday. – AFPPIC

Netherlands fight back to snatch draw against Greece THE Netherlands fought back from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 draw against Greece yesterday, denying the hosts a third straight victory in the Nations League. rewarded in the 89th minute when Tijjani Reijnders reacted quickest inside the penalty area to fire past Kostas Tzolakis and rescue a point. Greece coach Ivan Jovanovic admitted his side struggled to cope with the Netherlands’ tactical changes after the interval.

Greece looked set to maintain their perfect start in Group A2 after Fotis Ioannidis and Giorgos Masouras struck in the first half at Toumba Stadium. Ioannidis opened the scoring in the 23rd minute, racing on to a flick from Masouras before calmly curling the ball past goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen. The roles were reversed shortly before halftime when Ruben van Bommel’s misplaced backpass allowed Ioannidis to find Masouras, who fired into the net to give Greece a 2-0 lead. The Netherlands responded strongly after the break, with captain Virgil van Dijk pulling one back in the 59th minute with a powerful header. The visitors continued to press and were

“The Dutch changed tactics in the second half and we didn’t respond adequately,” Jovanovic said, reflecting the hosts’ frustration at surrendering their advantage. Jovanovic nevertheless praised his players after a demanding run of matches against some of Europe’s strongest sides. “I am very pleased with all three matches because we had a positive image as a team, except for the second half today,” he said. Greece defender Kostas Tsimikas said the result was disappointing but insisted the point could prove important. “There is a sense of disappointment, but we