A stunning strike from Isaac Price was not enough for Northern Ireland as second-half goals earned Germany a 3-1 World Cup qualifying win to ease the pressure on Julian Nagelsmann.
Price’s 34th-minute volley cancelled out an early goal from Serge Gnabry and gave Northern Ireland genuine hope of getting something out of the game, but quick-fire goals from the substitute Nadiem Amiri and Liverpool’s £116m man Florian Wirtz settled it midway through the second half.
But though Northern Ireland left Cologne defeated, for long spells they were the ones causing Germany problems in a performance that can serve as another marker for this young side. Germany came into the contest reeling from Thursday’s shock 2-0 defeat in Slovakia, their third consecutive defeat leading to stinging criticism of Nagelsmann in the German press.
They quickly set about dominating the ball in the early stages and took a seventh-minute lead through Gnabry, Northern Ireland’s nemesis six years ago when he scored a hat-trick in a 6-1 win in Frankfurt. After Eoin Toal lost the ball, Nick Woltemade quickly played in Gnabry, who barged his way past Justin Devenny before lifting the ball over the goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell.
