45.
9:38 p.m
Half-time conclusion:
Immediately afterwards there is a break, Germany leads 1-0 in Northern Ireland. The German team dominates the game and has significantly more possession of the ball, but there are no really good chances. The hit was the same even after a standard situation. The home team are extremely deep and come through intense duels, that was to be expected. After falling behind, they gradually dared to move forward and ensured a balanced game. We can look forward to an exciting second round, because the whole thing is far from over.
45.
9:36 p.m
End of 1st half
45.
9:36 p.m
That was close! A free kick defended by Schlotterbeck lands at McCann, who takes the ball as a dropkick from an 18-meter central position. The ball flies just past the top right, Baumann flies in vain.
45.
9:32 p.m
Yellow card for Ethan Galbraith (Northern Ireland)
Galbraith comes into the duel with Kimmich too late and steps on his foot. He is warned for this and the whole thing results in a yellow card suspension.
45.
9:31 p.m
There are three minutes on top of that. Will we see another hit?
45.
9:31 p.m
Official injury time (minutes): 3
45.
9:31 p.m
Gnabry missed a chip ball from Wirtz from the left of the penalty area in the middle. The DFB team lacks a bit of precision in and around the penalty area.
43.
9:29 p.m
On the left side, Galbraith got through somewhat fortunately against two opponents, and again luckily Adeyemi’s ball bounced to Reid in the penalty area. He has a clear shot from a central position of 14 meters, but he shoots the ball clearly over it. From such a position the ball must at least hit the goal.
40.
9:26 p.m
Tah tries to pass a blocked cross following a corner to Kimmich nine meters in front of the goal, but the ball ends up going out of bounds. A deal would have been much more profitable.
39.
9:25 p.m
If things happen quickly in Germany, it can also be dangerous. Wirtz serves Kimmich, who runs in on the right, but his cross is cleared by Ballard with his head in front of Woltemade.
38.
9:24 p.m
A free kick from the right half of the field is extended several times, in the end Reid heads the ball straight to Baumann. There was an offensive foul in the lead-up anyway.
36.
9:23 p.m
The lead is of course deserved due to the proportion of the game, but it was by no means apparent. First of all, the home team doesn’t change anything in their approach, they continue to play deep with long balls.
33.
9:19 p.m
The DFB team continues straight away, Adeyemi is sent well to the baseline on the right. However, Price was able to clean up his flat return just in front of Goretzka.
31.
9:16 p.m
Tooor for Germany, 0-1 by Nick Woltemade
A standard puts Germany in the lead. Space brings a corner from the right to the six-yard box, where Woltemade intensively asserts himself against Price. From four meters, the attacker sinks the ball somewhat unorthodoxly with his shoulder into the far corner, Peacock-Farrell has no chance.
29.
9:15 p.m
Schlotterbeck has to be treated first, but can then continue. There was definitely luck involved, a situation like that can end badly. The subsequent free kick from the left of midfield poses no danger.
28.
9:13 p.m
Yellow card for Jamie Reid (Northern Ireland)
In midfield Reid Schlotterbeck hits his calf with his studs, the ball was gone for a long time. That completely deserves the first yellow card of the game, the Northern Irishman pulls back a little, otherwise we have to talk about a sending off.
27.
9:13 p.m
A free kick from the right side that Kimmich took brought space wide to the second post. Peacock-Farrell is there and clears with a fist.
25.
9:11 p.m
On the right side, Woltemade takes a corner after a throw-in. McCann can head this away from Goretzka, then Gnabry prevents the possible counterattack.
22.
9:08 p.m
The really big penalty area scenes are missing in this game, Northern Ireland worked their way back in after initial problems. As expected, the Uwei fights are intense, space is cleared in midfield by Spencer in an aerial duel.
19.
9:05 p.m
Germany can then counterattack, Wirtz lays it off for Pavlović, who tries it directly from 18 meters in a central position. The curling shot ultimately goes well past the top right, but it was a well-executed attack.
19.
9:04 p.m
Price executes this, but gets stuck on the wall with the indirect variant. There was definitely more to it from this position.
18.
9:04 p.m
Kimmich Price holds on to a free kick from midfield for a long time. Now there is a free kick from 20 meters to the left.
17.
9:03 p.m
The supposed hit is a lot like a pattern, a long ball from midfield should lead to a goal. Logically, the goal didn’t count, but the crowd is there now and the Northern Irish seem to have found more confidence in their qualities.
14.
9:01 p.m
Then it gets loud because the Northern Irish put the leather in the goal. However, McNair was offside when heading a free kick and that’s why the flag went up. The decision is correct, but it should still be a warning shot for the guests.
13.
8:59 p.m
At least the first impression is that the DFB team is coping well with the intense style of play. Germany has the whole thing under control.
10.
20:56
Northern Ireland is always extremely deep, which means Schlotterbeck can shoot from 25 meters on the left. The attempt clearly went over, but the Dortmund player had not been attacked until then. That’s very passive.
8.
20:54
A corner from the left is initially taken briefly, Kimmich then chips from the half position onto the second post. From there, Price clears the ball directly to Wirtz, who shoots it into the night sky from a ten-meter position on the left. However, it was also difficult to take.
7.
20:53
It gets tricky for the first time in the penalty area, Goretzka is lying on the grass and got caught by McCann in the swinging movement of his shot attempt. However, there is no penalty for this.
6.
20:52
Wirtz can easily assert himself on the right side, but his cross ends up directly at the opponent. However, the guests manage to push Northern Ireland deep behind.
3.
8:49 p.m
The DFB team tries to execute this briefly, but Wirtz is rigorously pushed past Galbraith on the left. Germany has to try to calm the game down first.
2.
8:48 p.m
The direction of travel is immediately clear, things get off to an intense start. Both teams keep going, Gnabry takes a first free kick on the right.
1.
8:46 p.m
Then the ball starts rolling. Germany kicked off.
1.
8:45 p.m
Game start
8:40 p.m
At this moment the teams enter the pitch together with referee Jesus Gil Manzano from Spain. The game can begin in a few minutes.
8:25 p.m
The DFB team is the clear favorite in this game, winning the first leg 3-1. However, Germany had problems for a long time, going into the break 1-1, it was only the jokers who made it three. In addition, Northern Ireland has been unbeaten in this stadium for two years, so there is an opponent waiting for Nagelsmann’s troops who should not be underestimated. We can look forward to an intense exchange of blows.
8:10 p.m
Germany benefited from Northern Ireland’s victory as they are now leading Group A, and the mistake against Slovakia seems to have been forgotten. The 4-0 win against Luxembourg looked confident, but it wasn’t necessarily convincing. Other qualities will be required in today’s game; Nagelsmann primarily addressed the issue of physicality before the game. Standards are also seen as a danger, but the strong Munich and Dortmund blocks should give the team security. Anything other than a win would be a huge surprise.
7:55 p.m
Northern Ireland made this qualifying group A exciting again. With a somewhat fortunate but lackluster 2-0 against Slovakia, the hosts have moved into second place. Like their opponents three days ago and today’s opponents, they now have six points in their account. The Green & White Army can now have legitimate hope for the World Cup again. It is all the more bitter that Bradley, a key player, is missing. Overall, the team’s strengths lie in the defensive area, which will certainly be the focus today.
7:40 p.m
To start, let’s take a look at the lineups. For Northern Ireland, coach Michael O’Neill changed one position compared to the last game. For Bradley, who is missing due to a yellow card suspension, Spencer moves to the right-back position in the five-man chain. Otherwise there is no reason to change. On the other hand, DFB coach Julian Nagelsmann is not rotating, he trusts the same team as against Luxembourg. Leweling is still out injured, Atubolu, who was nominated later, is complaining of knee problems, but would probably not have been in the squad anyway. Schade is not included in the squad.
7:35 p.m
Welcome to the 4th matchday of the World Cup qualification in Group A, Northern Ireland and Germany face each other. Kick-off at Windsor Park in Belfast is at 8:45pm!