German players, staff react following Nations League exit to Portugal | OneFootball

Coach Julian Nagelsmann said about the result that “Portugal were the better side”, adding, “If we are not working at 100 percent, then we cannot keep up with the top nations. We did not have the activity, the energy we had in the last few months today; this was one of our worst matches in the last eighteen months”.

With ZDF presenters following the match, he summarised Germany's performance: “In the first half we played well, even if it ended 0-0. [In the second half], we did not show a great presence in terms of our possession of the ball, we did not maintain the same nerve we had defensively in the prior matches”.

He was asked by ZDF reporter Jochen Breyer whether Germany's defeat was because of a lack of attitude on the part of the whole team, and responded, “No. Attitude - that is a very big word. We still had a decent team on the field, but the activity was not 100 percent there”. He finished by saying that “As you see, it only says 2-1, but it felt like a 3-0 victory for them - we were quite tired”.

Right-back Joshua Kimmich, who had been instrumental throughout Germany's Nations League campaign, said about the result, “We deservedly led 1-0, but then we stopped playing”, but then shifted the focus to the future and what Germany can evaluate from it.

“If we give 100 percent in everything we do, then we will be one of the top teams in Europe. That is a great learning experience, we can draw a lot from that - we were not active enough both in possession and without possession of the ball, so we must have everyone playing to their limit to be able to compete, otherwise we would need a lot of luck to advance”, the FC Bayern defender said.

This was also the 100th appearance at the senior international level for Kimmich, who said regarding receiving an award from DFB president Bernd Neuendorf and sporting director/former German international Rudi Völler, “It is a great honour to have played so many matches for Germany”.

Regarding being the captain of the national team for some of those matches, including this matchup, he said: “Ever since I became captain, I have felt that this position is something special; the responsibility goes beyond the field itself. It makes me very proud, I consider it a great honour to captain our national team”.

Centre-back Robin Koch, who played the full 90 minutes in the defeat, said to WELT, “After we took the 1-0 lead, there seemed to be a complete break in our game. We turned over the ball too often and too easily; our effort was not enough, especially in the second half, and it is very bitter that we were unable to reach the final”.

Germany's next match will be in Stuttgart on Sunday afternoon at 15.00 (CET), against the loser of the second semifinal between Spain and France. After this, the national team will face Slovakia and Northern Ireland to begin their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign in September.