Anybody seeking confirmation that Florian Wirtz was worthy of a £116m transfer fee would not have found it in Belfast. Instead, it was Nick Woltemade who, courtesy of his maiden goal for his country, endorsed his status as Germany’s man of the moment. It would not be a World Cup without Germany and it will not be a World Cup without Germany. They have edged closer to the 2026 staging.
Julian Nagelsmann will enjoy more comfortable evenings on the touchline. For all their technical superiority, Germany failed to properly punish a Northern Ireland team who showed wonderful tenacity and grew in belief as the clock ticked down.
Wirtz played on the fringes of the game, which will only intensify chatter about when he will fully justify Liverpool’s faith. The reaction of the Northern Ireland support at full-time demonstrated they have plenty of that very thing. Germany had been made to sweat by the team who refused to grant them an inch.
The occasion of Michael O’Neill’s 99th match in charge of Northern Ireland had witnessed one of the team’s finest performances in the manager’s two spells. Slovakia were vanquished in Belfast on Friday, raising hopes that Northern Ireland may not need the back door playoff route likely to be afforded them after Nations League progress.
