Germany beat Northern Ireland in FIFA World Cup qualifier

Cologne, Sep 8 (IANS) Germany bounced back from its midweek defeat in Slovakia with a 3-1 win over Northern Ireland in FIFA World Cup qualifying Group A.

Looking to recover from Thursday's 2-0 loss in Bratislava, coach Julian Nagelsmann made five changes to his starting lineup, and the reshuffle paid off quickly.

Serge Gnabry opened the scoring in the seventh minute, latching onto a Nick Woltemade pass and lifting the ball over goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell. Germany looked poised to extend its lead but wasted good chances through Woltemade and David Raum, reports Xinhua.

Northern Ireland, buoyed by its opening win over Luxembourg, gradually settled and equalized in the 34th minute when Isaac Price volleyed in Justin Devenny's corner. Germany, rattled by the setback, struggled for rhythm and went into halftime on level terms to a chorus of whistles from the home fans.

Peacock-Farrell denied Pascal Gross and Raum early in the second half, but Nagelsmann's substitutions turned the tide. Nadiem Amiri, introduced on the hour, tapped into an empty net in the 69th minute for his first international goal.

Three minutes later, Florian Wirtz provided the highlight of the night, curling a free kick into the top corner to seal Germany's win. Northern Ireland pushed forward late on but failed to seriously threaten.

The result ended Germany's four-game winless run. It next hosts Luxembourg in Sinsheim on October 10, while Northern Ireland faces Slovakia in Belfast.

"We actually started the game quite well and took a deserved lead. Conceding the equalizer unsettled us a bit, the mood was down. In the last 30 minutes you could see our true face again, before that it was pretty shaky," Nagelsmann said.

--IANS

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