Liverpool star takes aim at Jurgen Klopp’s Germany side | OneFootball

Cody Gakpo Criticises Germany as Jurgen Klopp’s Return Ends in Heated Netherlands Draw

Jurgen Klopp’s return to the touchline brought a familiar sight, old Liverpool faces, a good deal of noise, and one awkward moment that dominated the fallout. Germany drew with the Netherlands in the Nations League, but the bigger talking point was not the result. It was the decision to play on while Brian Brobbey was down injured.

Klopp came up against Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo, players he knows well from his Liverpool days. Pre-match sentiment was predictable enough. Once the game got going, sentiment disappeared. These fixtures rarely drift into polite territory and this one followed the same pattern.

Gakpo anger over Germany decision

The key flashpoint arrived shortly after the half-hour. Brobbey was on the ground and the Netherlands expected the ball to be put out of play. Germany carried on. Felix Nmecha finished the move and scored while the Dutch forward remained stricken.

The reaction from the Netherlands was immediate and, after the match, Gakpo made it plain where he stood. “In our opinion, that is unsportsmanlike,” he said. “There is no rule for it, but I think it is normal to play the ball out of bounds when someone is lying on the ground. They decided not to do that; that was not sporting, which made things a bit more heated.”

That is the issue in simple terms. There may be no law requiring a stoppage, but players still work off a code. When one side feels that code has been ignored, tempers go quickly.

Photo: IMAGO

Jurgen Klopp reunion with former Liverpool players

Before and after the match, Klopp seemed relaxed enough. He greeted Van Dijk, Gravenberch and Gakpo individually and spent extra time with Van Dijk after full-time. That part looked genuine. On the pitch, none of it mattered.

Gakpo then had the final say where it counted, scoring the late equaliser that earned Xavi a point in his first match in charge of the Dutch side. It gave the celebrations extra edge, which was hardly surprising given what had gone before.

Nations League draw leaves familiar debate

There is no evidence this was a touchline instruction from Klopp. More likely, the players made the call in real time and accepted the consequences. Even so, the argument around sportsmanship is not going anywhere. Modern football is full of these moments, players pushing every limit, waiting for referees to intervene rather than doing the obvious thing themselves.

This match finished level, but it did not feel calm. Germany got the goal, the Netherlands got the equaliser, and Gakpo made sure nobody ignored the incident that sat over the whole night.