Undav double as Germany stay unbeaten in Nations League

Germany’s rebuilding is on the right track.

Deniz Undav scored a brace and the four-time World Cup winners extended their unbeaten record in the Nations League to three matches with a convincing 2-1 win at Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday.

Following the retirements of Manuel Neuer and Toni Kroos, coach Julian Nagelsmann’s team started a new cycle and their clean and fluid display against a spirited Bosnia side bodes well for the future.

The Germans top their group after also thrashing Hungary 5-0 and drawing in the Netherlands 2-2.

In the absence of several stalwarts, the Germans played with confidence, developed complex attacking moves and gave the impression of enjoying themselves. They had plenty of chances to score more and had a couple of goals disallowed for offside.

Germany’s only downside was their defensive lapse when Edin Dzeko pulled one back 20 minutes from time.

The visitors took the lead in the 30th minute at the conclusion of a move that showcased Florian Wirtz’s cleverness. The unmarked midfielder collected a lofted pass in the box and, instead of trying his luck, cut an unexpected back pass to Denis Undav, who calmly finished off the move.

Undav, who marked his first start for Germany with a goal against the Netherlands, was clinical on Friday.

His Stuttgart clubmate Maximilian Mittelstädt was the provider six minutes later with an excellent cross, and Undav doubled Germany’s lead with a clean tap-in from close range.

Bosnia’s Ermedin Demirovic, another Stuttgart player, hit the woodwork in the 35th, but Dzeko scored in the 70th with a header from a corner, his 67th goal for the national team.

The Dutch’s unbeaten run was almost stopped at Puskas Arena but they snatched a late 1-1 equaliser despite being reduced to 10 men.

The Netherlands won all nine previous meetings with Hungary and enjoyed most of the possession in the first half. But they could not find an edge to get past the staunch Hungarian defence.

Roland Sallai put the hosts in the driving seat in the 32nd minute with a close-range finish from Zsolt Nagy’s cross.

The Dutch looked set for a dreadful evening when defender Virgil van Dijk was sent off for a second yellow card but Denzel Dumfries earned a point for the visitors with a header in the 83rd.

Germany opened a two-point lead over the Netherlands at the top of the A3 Group. Hungary were third, two points ahead of Bosnia.

Georgia’s unbeaten record was ended by Ukraine in Group B1.

Georgia, the surprise of this year’s European Championship, won their first two games and remained at the top of the group despite the loss.

Mykhailo Mudryk scored the winner for Ukraine, earning the war-torn country their first points in the tournament.

The Czech Republic won against Albania 2-0.

Iceland and Wales drew 2-2 and Turkey defeated Montenegro 1-0 in Group B4. In League C, Estonia won against Azerbaijan 3-1 while Sweden drew at Slovakia 2-2.