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Germany picked up the first win of their World Cup Qualifying campaign after a 3-1 win in Cologne thanks to goals from Serge Gnarby, Nadiem Amiri and Florian Wirtz.
The hosts stumbled to an embarrassing 2-0 defeat in Slovakia in the week, starting off their qualifying campaign in the worst way possible. The visitors enjoyed a better start on Thursday night, enjoying a straightforward 3-1 victory against Luxembourg.
Such a poor start in what should have been an easy victory for the Germans prompted Julian Nagelsmann to a formation change and five changes from his side that lost in Bratislava, opting for a back three with Waldemar Anton and Robin Koch alongside Antonio Rüdiger. Stuggart winger Jamie Leweling operated as a wing-back down the right, paired with David Raum on the opposite flank.
Michael O’Neill named an unchanged side from the team that picked up three points in their last fixture. They kicked the game off on the night, but despite the pressure on the home side to get the job done, it was the visitors who started the more nervy of the two. Bolton centre-half Eoin Toal was caught in possession by Newcastle’s Nick Woltemade- he placed the ball through for the electric Serge Gnabry, who stayed composed and elegantly chipped it over Bailey Peacock-Farrell to open the scoring after just seven minutes.
Germany had a great chance to double their lead just eight minutes later, as once again sloppy play in possession from Northern Ireland was pounced on by the German midfield, with Isaac Price the culprit this time. Gnabry was once again set down the right wing, this time he squared the ball to Nick Woltemade, but the 23-year-old stalled too long in the box before he could let a shot fly. Paddy McNair recovered it well, but it was far from the ideal start for his side.
Isaac Price led hid side back into the game after breaking away down the left-wing, before being cleared out by Antonio Rüdiger. The Real Madrid defender was quickly added to the book by Norweigan referee Espen Eskås.
This helped Northern Ireland heap some pressure onto the four-time World Cup champions, barraging them with a flurry of threatening set pieces. On 31 minutes, captain Paddy McNair would blast a header over the bar from close range in a chance you’d expect him to bury. His blushes would be spared three minutes later, after another expert delivery from Justin Devenny found Isaac Price at the backpost, who had the composure to loop the ball into the back of the net on the volley to pull his side level.
The former Everton lad bagged his 10th international goal, giving his side hope after they rallied to peg the hosts back despite their impressive start.
David Raum thought he had put his side ahead in the first minute of added time at the end of the first half with a tremendous strike that found the top right-hand corner, but he was quickly and rightfully proven to be offside, leaving both sides level going into the break.
Die Nationalelf quickly got back on top after kicking off the second half, forcing Northern Ireland into some careless fouls, so much so Ethan Galbraith joined Rüdiger in the book in the 53rd minute. Pushing for the lead and dominating possession, Nagelsmann was the first to blink on substitutions, introdcuing Max Beier and Nadiem Amiri on 61 minutes.
Premier League duo Justin Devenny and Connor Bradley found themselves in the book in quick succession shortly after, with the game slowly slipping out of their side’s grasp. Leon Goretzka came on to add more steel into midfield in the 66th minute, prompting Northern Ireland to think about the same idea.
Before they could make such a switch though, Bailey Peacock-Farrell was called into action as a looping ball into the box from Joshua Kimmich found a pursuing Florian Wirtz. Liverpool’s new star midfielder flicked the ball towards goal, but Blackpool’s number one was equal to his effort.
The game wouldn’t remain level for much longer though, after a long, aimless ball from David Raum searching for Beier would loop all the way through the box past Peacock-Farrell to an unmarked Nadiem Amiri, who tapped into an empty net. It was an instant impact from the Hoffenheim midfielder, who scored just three minutes after coming on.
The Germans pilled on the pressure from here, pressing high and earning a free-kick just outside the box in the 72nd minute. Florian Wirtz stepped up, before he expertly placed the ball into the top left-hand corner with some excellent precision to give his side a two goal cushion and some breathing room for the final 20 minutes of the match.
Four Northern Irish substitutes after Dion Charles’s introduction in the 70th minute wouldn’t be enough to cause any late drama, especially after Jonathan Tah was introduced in the 82nd minute to help close out the game. Luton Town’s George Saville- one of the four who entered the pitch- would see the book in the 90th minute. Four minutes later, the final whistle was blown: job done for Germany.
The reverse fixture goes down in just over a months time at the Clearer Twist National Stadium, after Germany face Luxembourg and Northern Ireland face Slovakia as both sides continue their quest to go to the 2026 World Cup.
