Woltemade's maiden goal wins it for Germany in Belfast
| First goal for Germany | Charles McQuillan/Getty Images |
Boosted by an electric atmosphere inside Windsor Park, Northern Ireland started the game brightly. It took five minutes for Germany to create the first danger when their half-hearted penalty-kick appeal required a VAR check. Another five minutes later, Nico Schlotterbeck sent the ball wide with a long-range effort.
It was the turn of the hosts to search for the game’s first goal after that. First, Dan Ballard’s goal was chalked off because of an offside in the buildup. Then, Isaac Price failed to test Oliver Baumann with a free-kick from an auspicious position.
Aleksandar Pavlovic was the next to try his luck with a wild shot. The game lacked clear-cut chances at this point. In his hundredth game in two spells, Michael O'Neill managed to nullify Germany’s attacking threats for half an hour.
However, they found the net with their first shot on target. Nick Woltemade scored his first international goal with an improvised finish from David Raum’s corner-kick. A VAR check confirmed it was the shoulder of the Newcastle United striker that guided the ball into the net instead of his hand.
The hosts had a great chance to level the score before half-time when Jamie Reid blasted it wide after some good buildup play. In the final minute of injury-time, Ali McCann joined the list of players to try speculative efforts from distance. Germany finished the half with a single shot on target, but Woltemade made that one count.
It should’ve been two for the visitors a minute after the restart. Florian Wirtz’s lack of direct goal involvement continues to dominate headlines, and he was denied another assist when Karim Adeyemi was unable to test Bailey Peacock-Farrell from a golden chance.
However, Germany’s attack still had a quiet second-half, while Baumann was tested by Charles and Ethan Galbraith around the hour mark. On the other end, Peacock-Farrell had to wait until the 70th minute for his first save of the game from Serge Gnabry’s effort.
The minnows believed in themselves, but they hardly created chances before the final five minutes. Galbraith's shot from the edge of the box helped the momentum to go their way in the closing stages. Hoffenheim's long-serving goalie Baumann was then called into action by substitute Callum Marshall. There was also a penalty-box scramble just before the last action of the game.
Julian Nagelsmann’s team will conclude their World Cup qualifiers with a trip to Luxembourg and a home game against Slovakia next month. The last game at the RedBull Arena could be decisive as both teams currently have nine points.
