Overview
- Germany defeated Serbia 3–1 in Belgrade on Friday, opening the scoring with an early own goal before Florian Wirtz and debutant Brajan Gruda added goals.
- Brajan Gruda scored on his senior debut with a 50th-minute solo strike and was widely praised for his attacking impact and dribbling.
- Serbia finished the game with nine players after Vanja Dragojevic received a straight red card and Andrija Zivkovic was sent off with a second yellow.
- Jürgen Klopp picked Malick Thiaw ahead of Nico Schlotterbeck because he expected many long balls and wanted stronger aerial defenders, and Germany dominated possession at around 76 percent.
- UEFA restrictions limited the crowd to roughly 5,000 Serbian schoolchildren and about 50 German fans, and Germany now travels to Berlin for the Monday, 16 November, 20:45 match where a win would clinch a quarterfinal place.