A match full of debuts, dominance and a new star on the horizon for the German national team.

These are the players who stood out.

Jersey Swap: Stefan de Vrij

Stefan de Vrij wore the captain’s armband for the Netherlands in the absence of the suspended Virgil van Dijk.

With big shoes to fill, De Vrij certainly did not disappoint. He showed both his passing ability and defensive discipline by setting aside Serge Gnabry in the second minute, ultimately denying Jamie Leweling his debut goal for Germany.

De Vrij was a regular at the back and despite the lack of clean sheets, his team would certainly have scored more goals if he had not been there.

The Kaiser: Maximilian Mittelstädt

David Raum likely out for the rest of 2024? Maximilian Mittelstädt: “Hold my beer.”

The left back from Stuttgart played his role to perfection. A consistent outlet for the German attack down the left flank, solid link-up play and a sharp defensive display, Mittelstädt is the well-rounded left-back Germany has been looking for for years.

The 27-year-old was unlucky to walk away without a goal tonight after excellent setups from clubmate Jamie Leweling in the 11th and 83rd minutes. However, a shot straight at the Dutch Keeper, Bart Verbruggen and a final ditch blocker unfortunately left Mittelstädt goalless.

Goal or no goal, Germany finally has a capable left back.

Fußballgott: Aleksander Pavlović

It was a fairly quiet game in the new German midfield trio of Aleksander Pavlović, Angelo Stiller and Florian Wirtz. Nevertheless, it was Pavlović, the pearl in midfield who grew up in Bayern Munich’s youth academy, who stood out above the rest.

The Bayern academy graduate is going from strength to strength not only at club level, but also at international level. The 20-year-old’s talent is undeniable, and Pavlović has proven to be a versatile player and crucial to Germany’s midfield dominance against Liverpool revelation Ryan Gravenberch.

Pavlović is still criminally underrated on the international stage, but don’t be surprised if you hear his name more often in the discussion of Europe’s top talents.

The Bomber: Tim Kleindienst

What a turnout Tim Kleindienst had.

After helping a newly promoted Heidenheim side to an eighth-place finish last season, the 6-foot-1 forward earned a move to Borussia Mönchengladbach, where he scored three goals in six Bundesliga appearances. This was enough to earn Kleindienst his first start for the German national team, and he did not disappoint.

Sure, he didn’t manage to score a goal, but his overall and hold-up play allowed Germany to flourish in attack. In the absence of Niclas Füllkrug and Kai Havertz, Tim Kleindienst and Deniz Undav seem more than capable of taking the lead.

Depth in striker? When was the last time in the German national team?

Master of the match: Jamie Leweling

Jamie Leweling was absolutely electric.

The 23-year-old was denied a second-minute goal on his debut for the national team after Gnabry was offside in the build-up to the goal.

However, Leweling was not discouraged and showed off his blistering speed and dribbling ability to cause all kinds of headaches for the Dutch defense.

On 64 minutes, the Stuttgart man would finally be rewarded for his heroic display, smashing a shot from the center of the penalty area into the top right corner to secure a goal on his debut for Germany.

Germany’s list of young talent seems to be growing by the day, and if you haven’t already, be sure to add a certain Jamie Leweling to that list.

Looking for more thoughts and analysis from Germany’s 1-0 win over the Netherlands? Great, then we’ve got you covered with our Bavarian Podcast Works – Postgame Show where our Jack Lauschway breaks down the match. Jack gives you all the analysis you need on the game, along with where the German national team could be heading. You can download the podcast on Patreon, Spotify and below:

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