sport news Holland 2-3 Germany: Nico Schulz hits late winner in Euro 2020 qualifier

For the first time in a long time, Joachim Low can breathe easy. How Germany needed a night like this. This is a nation that has see-sawed from crisis to humiliation over the past eighteen months.

First came the calamitous exit from the World Cup in Russia. Then a bitter race row and a splintered dressing room saw Mesut Ozil turn his back on the country. Germany suffered the indignity of relegation from the UEFA Nations' League. Searching for answers, Low reached for the axe. He dropped World Cup winners Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels and Thomas Muller from his squad entirely.

In Amsterdam, Low's decisions paid off spectacularly to launch their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign in dramatic fashion. Low placed his faith in Leroy Sane and Serge Gnabry, who each scored, and then introduced Marco Reus as a substitute in the 88th minute and the winger laid on the winner for Nico Schulz within two minutes of his arrival.  

On Thursday evening in Wolfsburg, Sane endured one of the most haunting nights of his professional career. As Germany slumbered to a timid home draw against Serbia, the Manchester City winger was subjected to racist abuse from his country's own supporters.

Sane, however, is a formidable character. Life has not always been easy in a German shirt and he was left out of the squad for the World Cup last year. For Sane to hide away would only satisfy the bigots. Instead, Sane delved into the reservoirs of his resilience and produced the finest performance yet of his international career. He punished a rare Mathijs De Ligt slip to score Germany's opening goal and his direct running gave Virgil van Dijk a rare chasing on a night Joachim Low's team discovered a semblance of their former selves.

As Gnabry's glorious curling strike nestled into the top corner, Germany soared into a two-goal advantage and Joachim Low pumped the air twice with his fist and let out a roar.