Jürgen Klopp praises Brajan Gruda after stunning goal on Germany debut
· Yahoo Sports
An assist against Manchester City, two against FC Augsburg and now a goal on his debut for the Germany senior national team. Brajan Gruda was named in the starting XI for Germany’s 3-1 win over Serbia in the Nations League, wearing the number ten shirt. Head coach Jürgen Klopp had already described the Leipzig attacker as a “street footballer, simply a brilliant player to watch” ahead of the match.
Gruda with a solo run from his own half
Operating on the right wing, Brajan repeatedly looked to take on his man against a Serbia side sitting deep. After around 20 minutes, he delivered a pinpoint cross onto the head of Kai Havertz.
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Shortly after the break, Gruda embarked on a solo run during a spell of Serbian pressure. Receiving a low pass from Joshua Kimmich, he turned away from his marker inside his own half. Approaching the penalty area, he left another defender trailing before slotting a low left-footed finish into the bottom-right corner.
Nine successful dribbles on Germany debut - only Jamal Musiala has managed more
Against Serbia, Brajan completed nine of his 14 attempted dribbles. According to Opta, only Jamal Musiala has recorded more successful dribbles in a single appearance for Germany over the past ten years. Musiala managed 13 against Costa Rica at the 2022 World Cup.
“It was instinct. I don’t think too much when I’m dribbling with the ball. I just do it. It just happens,” Brajan said of his goal. Klopp summed up the moment in his interview with RTL: “Brajan then calmly put an end to the opposition’s brief resurgence.”
Klopp raves about Gruda’s feel for the game
“What a debut,” said RTL commentator Wolff-Christoph Fuss as Brajan was substituted off in the 86th minute. Klopp was particularly impressed by the way Gruda switched between keeping things simple and taking on opponents with daring dribbles.
“Brajan is an exceptional talent; he has exceptional ability. The way he mixed things up today, playing simple passes before taking risks again – it was really lovely to watch.”
Germany face the Netherlands on Monday evening. Asked whether he could feature in the starting XI again, Brajan replied: “Thankfully, I’ve come through it well. We’ll see what happens.”
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