Germany suffer shock defeat to North Macedonia
Germany suffered a sensational 1-2 defeat at home to North Macedonia on Wednesday.
| Joachim Löw. |
The home side dominated the game from the first minute, but couldn't take advantage of their first-half chances as Leon Goretzka hit the bar and Serge Gnabry had a shot saved from close range.
Instead, it was North Macedonia captain Goran Pandev who found the opener against the run of play just before half-time, putting the ball past Marc-André ter Stegen after he was teed up by Enis Bardhi.
North Macedonia managed to hold on to their surprising lead until Ilkay Gündogan equalised from the penalty spot in the 63rd minute after Leroy Sané was brought down in the box.
Germany came close to making it 2-1 with 10 minutes remaining when second-half substitute Timo Werner missed a tap in, scuffing the ball wide after an excellent pass from Ilkay Gündogan.
Then, out of nowhere, North Macedonia put the ball into the net at the other end through Eljif Elmas in the 85th minute.
Joachim Löw's troops tried to put on the pressure in the final stage of the game, but couldn't find the equaliser they needed and ultimately ended up suffering a highly disappointing defeat.