Germany ease past Slovakia to seal World Cup spot | OneFootball

Germany stormed out of the blocks on Monday, giving Slovakia no chance and cruising to a 6-0 victory in Leipzig to seal their place at next year’s World Cup.

Julian Nagelsmann’s side finished top of Group A with 15 points, their only defeat coming against Slovakia, who take second and head to the play-offs with their qualification hopes still alive. Meanwhile, the other group fixture, which had no bearing on the standings, saw Northern Ireland edge Luxembourg 1-0.

The Germans dominated in the air and struck early: on just the third dangerous cross, Nick Woltemade’s effort deflected in for 1-0.

They didn’t let up. In the 29th minute, Leon Goretzka set up Serge Gnabry for the second, and just before half-time, two slick combinations between Florian Wirtz and Leroy Sané stretched the lead to 4-0, tearing through a defence that had only conceded twice in its previous five games.

Germany spent the second half comfortably in control, with Slovakia retreating to limit the damage. The hosts eased off the accelerator at times but kept possession with ease, moving the ball through midfield and pressing whenever the opportunity arose.

The scoring resumed in the 67th minute when Ridle Baku, shortly after coming on, made it 5-0, before 19-year-old debutant Assan Ouédraogo capped the evening with a composed finish for the sixth. A perfect night in Leipzig, and a commanding confirmation that Germany will be at the World Cup.