At least Germany can be sure it will not be dull. Jürgen Klopp had predicted his debut as head coach could be wild, a trait he would accept as long as his team were lively enough. Both transpired in a frayed, pinball-like game whose lack of quality could be forgiven on account of its entertainment levels. The Netherlands more than merited a brilliant late equaliser from Cody Gakpo and by the time those present had drawn breath it felt appropriate that, for all the talk of new dawns, everyone finished back where they had started.
World domination is a far-off prospect for both of these flailing giants on such scrappy, frenetic evidence. But at least those with a stake in this famous old fixture, largely shorn of the spite and spit that defined it of old, could come away feeling something. Restoring those essential sensations of joy, pain and meaning sits at the very top of Klopp’s priorities. Germany looked raw and scattergun for long periods, reined in only by their lack of technical aptitude, but there were signs of an energy that had long been missing.
