Jurgen Klopp's return to the dugout was denied a dream start as Cody Gakpo's late volley earned the Netherlands a 1-1 draw with Germany in Amsterdam. The former Liverpool manager took charge of his first match since leaving Anfield, with the fiery affair featuring a disallowed goal, a controversial opener and an angry brawl.
Van Dijk goal ruled out by VAR
Klopp's ex-Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk thought he had given his former boss a nightmare start after heading home from a corner, only for VAR to intervene and cancel the goal. The defender had been all smiles with Klopp ahead of the game, but his mood quickly changed after the intervention, with the goal chalked off for Brian Brobbey's apparent foul on goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen earlier in the move.
Germany's intent against their bitter rivals was clear from the start, with Klopp's brand of 'heavy metal' football seeing Brentford's Kevin Schade fire in a dangerous cross within the opening few seconds. The hosts eventually found their feet, and in-form Brobbey tangled with Jonathan Tah as he attempted to charge into the box, albeit neither the referee nor VAR thought the incident was worthy of a penalty. There were further appeals following an apparent handball by the defender, but again the referee was unmoved.
Nmecha stokes controversy
There was even more controversy ahead of Germany's opening goal. Brobbey got in another tangle with Tah on the halfway line and seemingly picked up an injury. He signalled for a substitution, and it appeared as though Germany would allow him to receive treatment as they slowed the game down. But they surprisingly upped the tempo, played through their hosts and scored through Felix Nmecha, which triggered an angry brawl between both sets of players.
Germany should have doubled their lead shortly after through Barcelona's Karim Adeyemi, but he somehow fired over when faced with an empty net. In true Klopp fashion, the Germany boss gave an amusing reaction to the miss before applauding his players. Mexx Meerdink was also guilty of spurning a few wonderful efforts for the hosts - the striker firing wide in front of an unguarded net, while he also hit the post.
Gakpo strikes late
The ill-tempered tone of the evening continued with a crunching challenge from Nadiem Amiri that had both teams squaring off again. And there was time for even more drama, with another of Klopp's former stars, Gakpo, finding acres of space to fire home in the late stages as he latched on to Ruben van Bommel's stunning cross.
