Netherlands 1, Germany 1. Xavi and Klopp open their international coaching careers with feisty draw

AMSTERDAM (AP) — In the end, Jürgen Klopp and Xavi Hernandez gave one another a big hug on the sideline and headed for the locker rooms, honors even, unbeaten international records intact.

Thursday's 1-1 draw between Germany and the Netherlands in the Nations League was the international coaching debut for both men, who both inherited teams that disappointed at the World Cup.

Their remodeled teams served up a match with plenty of attacking intent, but short of quality finishing that could have produced a bigger score.

Xavi was happy, particularly with his team's second-half performance.

“They showed personality, ambition, desire. This is what we want," he said. "So, yeah, I think the second half is the way that we must play.”

A spectacular goal in stoppage time by one of Klopp's former Liverpool players, Cody Gakpo, who converted a beautiful cross from substitute Ruben van Bommel, earned a point for Xavi and the home team, canceling out Felix Nmecha's 32nd-minute opener that angered the Dutch because Germany kept playing despite Netherlands striker Brian Brobbey lying injured on the ground.

Klopp played down his lack of international experience, saying he has coached plenty of club games before this one.

“So I knew it, most of the things. I have fantastic players. We had a difficult game against fantastic team,” he said. "You want to win these games, but we knew before, whichever result we get, we will have to work with it. And that’s exactly what we are doing now.”

Both European soccer powerhouses parted company with their coaches after the World Cup. Julian Nagelsmann's Germany lost to Paraguay in the round of 32 and the Netherlands was knocked out by Morocco at the same stage under Ronald Koeman's leadership.

Klopp, who stepped down as Liverpool coach in 2024 after 8 1/2 years, a Champions League trophy and league title among other prizes, announced his arrival on the international scene by selecting a whopping 44 players — 16 of them uncapped — in two separate squads for the four-match Nations League stretch that started Thursday night.

“There were two teams, two very good football teams, in the same situation,” he said of the post-World Cup rebuilding process. "Both wanted to prove that things aren’t quite as bad as they’re currently perceived to be. And that showed in the match.”

Xavi, a World Cup champion as a midfielder with Spain and serial winner with Barcelona, was more conservative in his selection of a 26-man squad, but left out the Netherlands' all-time top scorer Memphis Depay.

Xavi called himself "a bit of a son of Dutch football” when he was announced as new coach on a deal through to the 2030 World Cup. “Other great coaches, especially Louis van Gaal, under whom I made my debut at Barcelona, and Frank Rijkaard, also played an important role in shaping me as a player and coach.”

He pledged to push for a more attacking style of play than what Netherlands displayed in its World Cup campaign. True to his word, he began in the four-three-three formation favored by Dutch purists and taught to youngsters at the storied Ajax youth academy. And it paid off in attacking intent — with 21 goal attempts to Germany's 10.

Klopp had likely spent more time with two of the Dutch players — Liverpool stars Virgil van Dijk and Gakpo — than he has with many in his new international squad. Van Dijk and Klopp smiled and laughed together as both teams warmed up and the German also had a warm embrace for Gakpo.

“He has been a very important person in my career so far, along with Ronald Koeman, and I have always had so much appreciation for that,” Van Dijk said ahead of the match.

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

Germany's coach Jurgen Klopp sings the national anthem before the UEFA Nations League soccer match between the Netherlands and Germany in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Germany's coach Jurgen Klopp walks off the pitch after the UEFA Nations League soccer match between the Netherlands and Germany in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Germany's coach Jurgen Klopp talks to match official during the UEFA Nations League soccer match between the Netherlands and Germany in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Netherlands coach Xavi Hernandez, left, and Germany's coach Jurgen Klopp hug before the UEFA Nations League soccer match between the Netherlands and Germany in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Dutch fans hols a banner welcoming Netherlands coach Xavi Hernandez during the UEFA Nations League soccer match between the Netherlands and Germany in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

James Copenhaver, one of three campaign rally attendees shot in 2024 during an assassination attempt on then-candidate Donald Trump, has died in Pittsburgh, his lawyer said Thursday. He was 76.

Copenhaver was in the bleachers during the event in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a 20-year-old gunman opened fire from a nearby rooftop, grazing Trump’s right ear with one bullet. Copenhaver was struck in the arm and in the abdomen, wounds that left him with lingering injuries and walking with a cane.

Two other attendees were also shot — David Dutch, who survived, and Corey Comperatore, who shielded his family from gunfire and was killed.

Copenhaver died Wednesday at Allegheny Health Network’s West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh, according to a statement from the Allegheny County medical examiner cited in local media accounts.

Copenhaver’s lawyer, Joseph Feldman, said in a statement issued on behalf of the family that he died surrounded by loved ones. The statement did not specify if his death was directly related to the injuries he suffered at the rally.

Copenhaver and his wife, Marianne Copenhaver, sued the federal government in June, alleging that the Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security had “utterly failed” to provide appropriate security at the rally. Copenhaver’s injuries required multiple surgeries, including a transection of his colon, and he had lingering kidney and other damage, including a loss of feeling in his leg. The lawsuit described the wounds as “debilitating, grievous, permanent and life altering.”

The family's statement Thursday called Copenhaver above all else a devoted husband, father and grandfather who instilled the values of hard work, integrity and the service to others in his children.

“James’s dedication to this great country was a defining part of his life,” it said. “As a veteran, he proudly served our nation in the armed forces, and his love of country never wavered. James was a true American patriot who believed deeply in the freedoms and ideals upon which this nation was founded, and he embodied the very best traits of our great nation.”

In a statement posted to social media, Trump on Thursday called Copenhaver “a true American Patriot.”

“Jim showed tremendous bravery, courageously continuing to FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT, and maintaining a positive spirit despite unimaginable hardships,” Trump wrote.

Johnson reported from Seattle and Smyth from Columbus, Ohio.

FILE - A campaign rally site for Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is empty and littered with debris on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)