Equal points with Slovakia
©IMAGO
Now the World Cup ticket is very close: Storm giant Nick Woltemade led Germany to the all-important 1-0 (1-0) in Belfast with his debut goal against the rustic Northern Irish. After the victory, national coach Julian Nagelsmann and the DFB selection will go into the final qualifying games in Luxembourg and Leipzig against pursuers Slovakia in November as first in Group A.
There was no beauty prize at Windsor Park, where the Northern Irish lost on Monday evening for the first time in two years, in a game characterized by commitment and duels. The 1.98 meter tall Woltemade decided that when he shouldered a sharp corner from David Raum into the goal in the 31st minute. It was goal number one in the sixth international match for the 23-year-old Newcastle United striker.
Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi could have made it 2-0 on a counterattack straight after the break without having to worry. Until the final whistle, hard work was required from the very present midfield anchor Aleksandar Pavlovic and his colleagues, who were under intense pressure.
“Losing is definitely forbidden, it’s better to win” – that was Nagelsmann’s approach. And the DFB selection, which played with the same line-up as in the 4-0 win against Luxembourg, was obviously aware of the seriousness of the situation. Joshua Kimmich and Co. held their own against the sometimes over-tough Northern Irish, who were celebrated by the heated audience for every duel they won. In contrast to the last – embarrassing – away appearance in Slovakia (0:2), the German virtues that have been so often demanded in recent weeks were also visible.
In terms of football, it wasn’t a game for connoisseurs, it was hard work. Many tackles, many standards and also many long balls, especially from the limited hosts, characterized the action. The intense game also made Nagelsmann sweat, and the national coach quickly took off his jacket.
The German team had to survive a first moment of shock in the 14th minute when Daniel Ballard powerfully maneuvered the ball into the goal, but the position had previously been offside. However, the noise level when shouting at the goal showed the DFB team what they should avoid at all costs. The longing for the first World Cup participation since 1986 is huge in Northern Ireland.
In the period that followed, Nagelsmann’s team managed to shift the action more and more into the opponent’s half. After a quick counterattack via Florian Wirtz, Pavlovic had a good chance from distance, although his shot missed the goal by a good meter (19th). There was still room for improvement on the counterattacks; the passes were often played too imprecisely.
Surprisingly, a standard gave the German lead. After a corner from David Raum, Woltemade scored with his shoulder to take the lead. As he did recently in Newcastle, the 90 million man demonstrated his goal-scoring qualities for the first time in a national jersey. But it was a leadership that was on shaky ground. Shortly before the break came the world number 72. still two good options. But Jamie Reid (43rd) and Ali McCann (45th + 4) narrowly missed.
Adeyemi could have brought a lot of calm to the German bench with his huge chance right after the break. This was preceded by a dream pass from Wirtz, who acted diligently but sometimes without luck. Adeyemi, who is suspended after a yellow card in the next game, was substituted shortly afterwards.
But the tension remained. Especially when it came to standards, the hosts threw everything into it – even beyond what was allowed. DFB keeper Oliver Baumann became more and more the focus. A shot from Ethan Galbraith onto the side net made the spectators jump – but in vain (61′). Galbraith also failed from distance in the final phase (85′). Shortly afterwards, Oliver Baumann saved the German victory against Callum Marshall (88th).