Germany 6-1 Northern Ireland
Germany stormed to a convincing win over Northern Ireland in Frankfurt tonight, as FC Bayern’s Serge Gnabry stole the show with a brilliant hat-trick.
Northern Ireland took a surprise lead when Michael Smith fired a beauty beyond Ter Stegen. But then, it was all Germany as Gnabry ran the visitors’ defence ragged. Leon Goretzka also helped himself to a brace as Joachim Low’s side topped Group C.
While the automatic qualification places in the group were already settled — with Germany and the Netherlands booked at the Euro 2020 finals — Euro 2020: Germany vs Northern Ireland was still a match with plenty at stake.
After a disastrous campaign at Russia 2018, Joachim Low desperately wanted his team to bounce back and winning Group C was his priority.
Northern Ireland had their sights set on automatic qualification not long ago, but a goalless draw with the Netherlands put an end to that and they wanted to head into the play-offs in good shape.
O’Neill started the game with two up front by bringing in young Jordan Thompson alongside Josh Magennis, but they didn’t get a sniff as the Irish wilted under the pressure.
Highlights of the game
Nobody in the Commerzbank Arena expected the game to start in the manner it did.
Ireland came out all guns blazing and on seven minutes they were ahead. George Saville did well to hook the ball into the penalty area, and when it was headed clear to Michael Smith some 20 yards out.
The full-back hit the sweetest strike low into the corner for his first international goal, and what a goal it was!
The pre-match Germany vs Northern Ireland betting odds here at SBOBET offered 8.25 on a win for O’Neill’s battlers, but there was still a long way to go.
As you’d expect, that goal stunned Germany into action and Toni Kroos picked out Gnabry with a brilliant pass to put him clean through on goal, but keeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell made himself big and pulled off a brilliant save with his left hand.
Moments later Kroos surged down the left flank and put a dangerous ball in. Ilkay Gundogan got his foot to the ball to divert it towards goal but it bounced back off the post.
The Green and Whites had already made two escapes but they couldn’t make a third. Jonas Hector pulled the ball back to Gnabry and the young FC Bayern striker continued his rich vein of form, turning and smashing the ball past Peacock-Farrell and into top corner to make it 1-1.
The hosts turned the early score-line on its head just before the break. But after two great goals, this one was a little scrappy.
The Ireland defence failed to deal with a cross into the box and pondered while Leon Goretzka pounced and he poked the ball home.
If that was a blow to the Irish before they took their half time cup of tea, the knockout came just two minutes after and it was that man Gnabry again.
Wing back Lukas Klostermann has been one of the success stories of Germany’s campaign with his defensive courage and pace in attack, and he got in behind the Ireland defence before pulling the ball back to Gnabry and the lethal striker fired the ball into the bottom corner.
And Bayern’s hot property scored his hat-trick on the hour latching on to a perfect through ball from Julian Brandt, losing the Ireland defence in his stride and sliding the ball under the advancing Peacock-Farrell.
Goretzka scored his second of the night — and Germany’s fifth — coolly firing home from the edge of the penalty area and Brandt rounded off the scoring in injury time.
Key statistics
The Netherlands win against Estonia meant that Germany finished top of Group C by two points, with Ireland well clear of the rest in third.
In the end this game went the same way as the last four Germany vs Northern Ireland results with Low’s team coming out on top, but this was the biggest margin by far as Germany peppered Ireland’s goal with 22 shots while Northern Ireland managed five.
What’s next?
Germany can now start to prepare for Euro 2020 and put Russia 2018 behind them, but Low knows his side isn’t among the favourites.
Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill now takes up a new challenge, as head coach of struggling Championship side Stoke City. But he’s hoping to take the helm for his country one more time in the play-offs.
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