Germany's 3-3 draw with Italy in the second leg of their Nations League quarter-final was entertaining, but improvements must be made, said head coach Julian Nagelsmann. 

Having won the first leg 2-1 in Milan, Germany appeared to be cruising into the semi-finals of the competition after leading by three goals heading into the second half. 

Joshua Kimmich's penalty was followed up with strikes from Jamal Musiala and Tim Kleindienst, but Luciano Spalletti's side roared back after the break. 

Moise Kean scored a brace and Giacomo Raspadori's leveller in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time made things interesting, but Germany held on for the win. 

The hosts had dominated the opening period, registering an expected goals (xG) total of 3.09 from their 18 attempts, restricting Italy to three shots in the first half. 

However, the Azzurri responded brilliantly, outperforming Germany in the xG metric (1.2 to 0.32), though Nagelsmann was not disappointed by the overall display. 

"I think it was fun. I always want our football to be entertaining," said Nagelsmann in a post-match interview.

"The first half was very entertaining. It was also very interesting in the second half, just a bit too exciting at the end.

"We're a country of complainers, but we can be proud of the unity between the fans and the team.

"The team is giving everything. This is perhaps the most important development in recent years."

Nagelsmann went on to describe the first half as "very impressive" and the best Germany have played during his tenure.

"The big difference was that in the second half we played almost exclusively backwards and almost exclusively through the middle," Nagelsmann said.

"It wasn't just the poor pass before the first goal.

"It was too much freestyle. When you lose the structure, the wrong pass hurts even more. If it's 3-0 for a long time, the opponent surrenders. That's how the momentum shifts."

Next up for Germany is the semi-final against Portugal in June.