After a professional win at home against Luxembourg, Germany headed to Northern Ireland aiming to cement top spot. Head coach Julian Nagelsmann trusted the same team that won three days earlier, and they delivered.
In front of a raucous home crowd in Belfast, Germany battled for a hard-fought 1-0 win that has them back on track for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico next year.
Here are the key takeaways from Germany’s win vs. Northern Ireland.
Set-pieces becoming a strength
Nick Woltemade scored his first goal for Germany, awkwardly sending a corner into the goal off the back of his shoulder. It was a great moment for a player who has started life at Newcastle with a bang, but it also meant of Germany’s eight goals scored in qualifying, five came from set-pieces.
Mads Buttgereit, who arrived in 2021, appears to have made some major changes since last year, when Germany’s set-piece quota was disappointingly low. The team was struggling hugely, having scored no goals from corners or free kicks in both Qatar and the home Euros. Over a year later, and the picture looks very different.
“I wouldn’t make too much of it but we talk about and focus on it a lot,” Woltemade told the RTL broadcaster afterwards. “It’s nice to talk about the fact we’re scoring from set-pieces. It makes us more unpredictable.”
If Buttgereit has turned this weakness into a strength, then not only has he improved his standing but it also appears Germany are finally making good on their potential in this area. For a side that has been inconsistent in too many areas since last summer, the emergence of set-pieces as a strength gives them, as Woltemade suggested, an edge.
The atmosphere in Windsor Park was intense, but Germany matched itImage: Liam Mcburney/PA Wire/dpa/picture alliance
Intimidating atmosphere handled
Northern Ireland have not lost at home in two years. They are fighting for a chance to make their first World Cup since 1986. The buoyant mood of the situation was reflected in a raucous atmosphere at Windsor Park, where every tackle won, every corner won, every defensive header clear was met with a huge cheer from the home crowd. When Dan Ballard slammed home after pinball in the box, the crowd was so delirious it nearly missed the offside flag altogether.
It was exactly the atmosphere Germany knew was coming, but it’s one thing to know it and quite another to experience it. At first, Germany looked a bit intimidated by it all. Passes were off and Nagelsmann was jumping up and down in frustration on the sidelines. After 25 minutes, his jacket was off.
“Not a pretty game, but we took on the emotion of the opponent and the crowd,” Julian Nagelsmann said.
“It was a real battle. It was all about the result today,” Joshua Kimmich said afterwards.
But his team did find a way to handle it. Corners were cleared, momentum was wrestled back, passion and intensity were met. Even when goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell came up for the final corner, Germany stood firm. David Raum was perhaps the best example of this, showing his appetite for such games whilst delivering perhaps his best Germany performance.
“Hats off to the home fans. It was an incredible atmosphere,” David Raum said.
In the context of this group’s development, successfully navigating such environments and situations is a pivotal part of gaining experience.
“You just have to win scrappy games like this, and we did,” Woltemade said.
A handful of these players are at the beginning of their international careers, and are having to step up in the absence of injured others. For the likes of Woltemade, Karim Adeyemi and Aleksandar Pavlovic, being a part of nights like this can help forge a career.
Oliver Baumann has proved himself more than worthy of being Germany’s number oneImage: Frank Hoermann/SVEN SIMON/picture alliance
Germany do not have a goalkeeper problem
With Marc-Andre ter Stegen still recovering from injury, perhaps it was not surprising that the noise about Manuel Neuer coming out of retirement to be Germany’s goalkeeper during the World Cup grew.
In truth, the way Oliver Baumann has played during these qualifiers proves that goalkeeper is not a position they need to worry about.
At 35, Baumann is a veteran. For the keeper closing in on 500 Bundesliga games, he has taken his chance in Germany colors. He has kept Germany in games, and in Belfast he was calm with his feet, commanding in the box and made one big save late on to make sure the three points stayed with the traveling side.
“I’ve said it a few times but we haven’t lost any games because of our goalkeeper. The discussion is not good for anyone, also for Manu [Neuer],” Nagelsmann said afterwards. “I wonder why we talk about it for three hours every week. At the moment, we do not have a goalkeeper problem.”
If ter Stegen isn’t fit and in form come next summer, Baumann has proved since late last year and throughout this qualifying campaign that not only is he reliable but that he too can help Germany win games.
