BVB stars with Germany: Beier shines, Anton steady, Groß mixed | OneFootball

The German national team did not exactly cover itself in glory once again, but at least fulfilled its duty on Sunday evening in Cologne, defeating Northern Ireland 3-1 after a tough 90 minutes on the second matchday of qualification for the 2026 World Cup. Three out of four nominated Borussia Dortmund players were also on the pitch.

While Karim Adeyemi had to watch the entire 90 minutes from the bench, Waldemar Anton and Pascal Groß were newly added to the starting eleven compared to the disastrous performance in Slovakia on Thursday (0:2). The newly called-up Maximilian Beier got his chance as a substitute.

Anton played solidly in the center of a newly formed back three alongside Antonio Rüdiger and Robin Koch, and his most notable action came with an attacking header after 64 minutes, which would have meant a 2-1 lead but narrowly missed the goal.

Super-sub Beier involved in the crucial 2-1

Groß, deployed in central midfield alongside Joshua Kimmich, achieved a very good pass completion rate of 92 percent, but also recorded six turnovers and thus played a part in the corner that led to the Northern Irish equalizer. Overall, the veteran played rather inconspicuously and could only partially recommend himself for another starting eleven nomination.

Super-sub Beier, who came on for Serge Gnabry after 61 minutes, quickly proved to be a lively presence and, just eight minutes after his substitution, played a decisive role in the crucial 2-1 by Nadiem Amiri, even without touching the ball. Beier distracted Northern Ireland keeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell, so that Amiri only had to slot the ball into the empty net. Beier continued to be active afterward, although, naturally, not everything worked out.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.