Nations League Matchday 2: Germany lose to Greece for the first time
Klopp’s Germany lost at home to Greece for the first time in ten meetings. Portugal won in Oslo with Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench for the whole match, and the Netherlands came from behind in Belgrade. Eight games, and Matchday 2 is only half done.
Quick answers
- Matchday 2 opened with eight matches on 27 September 2026 — four in League A and four in Leagues B and D.
- Germany 0–1 Greece — a first German defeat by Greece in ten meetings, and Jürgen Klopp is still without a win after two games.
- Cristiano Ronaldo was an unused substitute as Portugal won 2–1 in Oslo.
- Mexx Meerdink scored twice in the Netherlands’ 2–1 win in Belgrade.
- Who leads Group A2? Greece, on six points from two games, with the Netherlands on four, Germany on one and Serbia on none.
- Who leads Group A4? Portugal, on six points, with Denmark and Norway on three each and Wales on none.
- Three teams have six points from two games: Greece, Portugal and Austria.
- The Republic of Ireland bounced back from their opening defeat with a 3–0 win in Israel and have three points from two games in Group B3.
- Matchday 2 continues on 28 and 29 September — Belgium v France and Türkiye v Italy on Monday, then Czechia v England and Spain v Croatia on Tuesday.
The short answer. Greece had never beaten Germany in ten attempts before Sunday. They did it with a deflected strike from a substitute, and it leaves Germany on one point from two games while Greece lead Group A2 on six. Elsewhere the away teams did the work: Portugal won in Oslo without Ronaldo leaving the bench, and the Netherlands recovered from conceding an equaliser to win in Belgrade.
Every result from Sunday night
League in the first column. All matches on 27 September 2026.
| League | Result | Scorers |
|---|---|---|
| A2 | Serbia 1–2 Netherlands | Meerdink 30′ pen, 69′ · Jović 46′ |
| A2 | Germany 0–1 Greece | Kourbelis 74′ |
| A4 | Denmark 2–0 Wales | B. Davies 53′ own goal · Isaksen 66′ |
| A4 | Norway 1–2 Portugal | Félix 17′ · Haaland 51′ · G. Ramos 54′ |
| B3 | Austria 3–1 Kosovo | Chukwuemeka (sub) sealed it |
| B3 | Israel 0–3 Republic of Ireland | Parrott · Idah · Moylan, all first half |
| D1 | Gibraltar 0–0 Andorra | — |
| D2 | Lithuania 1–1 Azerbaijan | Kučys 9′ pen · Emreli 14′ |
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The groups after two matchdays
Two of the four League A groups completed their Matchday 2 round on Sunday. This is where they stand — Groups A1 and A3 play on Monday and Tuesday.
Group A2
| Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greece | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 6 |
| Netherlands | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 4 |
| Germany | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −1 | 1 |
| Serbia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 0 |
Group A4
| Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 6 |
| Denmark | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +1 | 3 |
| Norway | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Wales | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | −3 | 0 |
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The four League A group winners reach the finals, which are scheduled for 9–13 June 2027. There is no knockout round in between: six matchdays decide the four qualifiers.
Three things Sunday night told us
Greece did what ten previous teams could not
Germany had never lost to Greece. They had never even failed to beat them — ten meetings, no defeats — and for most of Sunday in Augsburg it looked like that record would hold. Then Dimitris Kourbelis, on as a substitute, struck a shot that deflected past the goalkeeper with a little over fifteen minutes left. Germany’s best chance of the afternoon came shortly after the half-hour, when Karim Adeyemi forced a save, and they did not take it. Two games in, Klopp has one point and Greece have six.
Ronaldo watched the whole of it from the bench
Portugal are the two-time defending champions and they won in Oslo without their captain taking the field. João Félix put them ahead inside seventeen minutes; Erling Haaland equalised early in the second half after a parried free-kick; and Gonçalo Ramos restored the lead within three minutes by intercepting a pass from the goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland and finishing from outside the area. Ronaldo was an unused substitute throughout, three days after starting the 1–0 win over Wales.
Meerdink made the case for the Netherlands’ new front line
Cody Gakpo went off injured inside twelve minutes in Belgrade, and Mexx Meerdink took the game over: a penalty on the half-hour, then the winner on 69 minutes after Luka Jović had equalised within a minute of coming on at half-time. It is a first win for Xavi Hernández in charge of the Netherlands, and it leaves them two points behind Greece in Group A2.
What changed between Matchday 1 and Matchday 2
Points after one game, and points after two. Four of the eight teams in Groups A2 and A4 moved — and two of them, Greece and Portugal, won both of their matches.
| Team | After MD1 | After MD2 | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greece | 3 | 6 | Won in Serbia, then beat Germany |
| Netherlands | 1 | 4 | Drew with Germany, won in Serbia |
| Germany | 1 | 1 | Drew in Amsterdam, lost at home |
| Serbia | 0 | 0 | Lost both — and both of them at home |
| Portugal | 3 | 6 | Beat Wales, then won in Oslo |
| Denmark | 0 | 3 | Lost in Oslo, beat Wales at home |
| Norway | 3 | 3 | Won in Copenhagen, lost at home |
| Wales | 0 | 0 | Lost both, scoring none |
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Shirt demand index: Matchday 2
Built from our own order flow and range depth over the two matchdays, not from a poll. Nothing else in this article is generated from it.
Greece and Portugal. Greece beat Germany for the first time in ten attempts, and Portugal have now won two from two with their captain watching from the bench — both are the kind of result that moves a national shirt faster than a friendly ever will.
Netherlands and Denmark. Both won on Sunday, both sit in the top half of their groups, and both have squads whose club shirts already sell year round — the national versions move with them.
Germany and Norway. Germany have one point and a coach under pressure, which historically keeps demand high rather than low; Norway lost at home after Haaland had equalised.
What is left on Matchday 2
| When | Fixtures |
|---|---|
| Mon 28 Sep | Belgium v France · Türkiye v Italy |
| Tue 29 Sep | Czechia v England · Spain v Croatia |
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All four kick off at 20:45 CET, and Group A3 is the only group in League A that plays its whole round on one night: Czechia v England and Spain v Croatia start together on Tuesday. England travel to Prague three days after hosting Spain at Wembley.
The shirts
Current home shirts for the countries that played on Sunday night — printed names and numbers made to order.
Greece Men's Home Jersey 2025 2026
2026-2027 Netherlands Home Shirt (Virgil 4)
Portugal 2025 2026 Black Men's Jersey
Norway Sorloth Men's Home Jersey 2026 2027
Denmark Away Shirt 2026/27 Pro
Germany Home Shirt 1994
Results in this article were checked against UEFA’s official matchday round-up and league tables, and the group standings against three independent league sources, on 28 September 2026.
What were the Nations League results on 27 September 2026?
Did Germany lose to Greece?
Did Cristiano Ronaldo play against Norway?
What does the Group A2 table look like?
What does the Group A4 table look like?
Who scored the Netherlands’ goals in Belgrade?
What happens to the group winners?
When does Matchday 2 finish?
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Current home shirts for the countries in the September window — printed names and numbers made to order.
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