Nations League: Germany relegated after Netherlands win
November 16, 2018
Joachim Löw's Germany will drop into the second tier of the Nations League from the 2020-21 season after the Netherlands beat world champions France in Rotterdam, confirming Germany's demotion.
The Netherlands maintained their return to international prominence under coach Ronald Koeman with a stunning victory, this time seeing off Didier Deschamps' side with goals from Georginio Wijnaldum at the end of the first half and a chipped penalty from Memphis Depay at the end of the second.
The result means that even if Germany were to beat the Dutch at Schalke's stadium in Gelsenkirchen on Monday night, the Dutch would finish above Germany based on the head-to-head record between the sides, which is in the Netherlands' favor after their 3-0 victory over Löw's side in Amsterdam last month.
Löw had said before Germany's friendly victory over Russia on Thursday that relegation "would not be the end of the world," but it makes Germany's path to the European Championship in 2020 potentially more treacherous.
The Nations League structure means that every point counts, so Germany must try to beat the Dutch, otherwise they could lose their place as one of the top seeds for Euro 2020 qualifying.