BERLIN, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- Jamie Leweling's debut goal against the Netherlands gave Germany a narrow 1-0 win in UEFA Nations League Group A3 on Monday.

The Germans thought they had made a fairytale start on home soil, but Leweling's early opener was ruled out for offside in the third minute after a review by the video assistant referee.

The hosts gained momentum and put the Dutch on the back foot, but Maximilian Mittelstadt couldn't beat goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen from a promising position after 11 minutes.

Ronald Koeman's men struggled to gain a foothold in the clash, while Germany should have opened the scoring on the half-hour mark. However, Leweling's shot from 11 meters was blocked by Stefan de Vrij, and Tim Kleindienst failed to capitalize on Micky van de Ven's misplaced pass before the break.

The Netherlands controlled possession after the restart, but it was Germany who threatened the most when Serge Gnabry shot wide from 14 meters eight minutes into the second half.

Julian Nagelsmann's side finally broke the deadlock on the hour mark when the Netherlands failed to clear a corner, and Leweling pounced on the loose ball to slot it home in the top right-hand corner.

The visitors came close to equalizing in the 77th minute, but Xavi Simons' well-placed shot from 20 meters struck the outside of the crossbar.

Germany continued to threaten and came close to doubling their lead when Denzel Dumfries blocked Mittelstadt's shot from the edge of the area.

The Elftal had another golden opportunity to restore parity in the dying minutes of the game when Donyell Malen exchanged passes with Simons before hammering a shot on target. However, Germany goalkeeper Oliver Baumann made a fine save to secure all three points for the hosts.

Germany remains top of Group A3 on ten points, followed by the Netherlands (5 points), Hungary (5 points), and Bosnia-Herzegovina (1 point).

"We played an exceptional first half. It is a shame that our first goal was disallowed. After the break, the Dutch made changes, but we defended well and kept creating chances. Jamie played a great game and was lucky to get another goal. We deserved to win today," said Nagelsmann. Enditem

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