Germany has left and lost World Cup The qualifying game played its first match on Thursday with a 2-0 upset against Slovakia, prompting the campaign to reach the 2026 tournament to be in danger.
David Hanko and David Strelek each exploited the mistakes they made in Germany’s defense, shocking Slovakia, their last World Cup appearance in 2010. Germany could not find a way to return to the game through Slovak defense.
It was a blow, including manager Julian Nagelsmann and his new look lineup Nick Ultemaid, the new striker in Newcastle He made his debut quickly with his third German match and 21-year-old Nnamdi Collins.
Nagelsmann was struggling with his team, but he said it lacked “emotions” on the field and lacking the will to win against the opposition of a motivated underdog. He even questioned whether instead, he should choose a less skilled but more committed player.
“Maybe we really need to rely on you because we really give it all and instead it led to better results than the best players played,” he told broadcaster ARD.
Germany will need to win all five games remaining to avoid the playoffs, Nagelsmann added.
Historical records fall
Germany, including West Germany’s record during the Cold War, has played in all World Cups since 1954. It was only lost until Thursday Three World Cup Qualifierseverything is at home.
The loss in Slovakia was the second time Germany lost a World Cup qualifier with multiple goals. The other was a 5-1 home loss in the UK in 2001.
Germany seemed confident that it qualifies from a simple group with Slovakia, Northern Ireland and Luxembourg, so it was already friendly booking when the group won.
Germany announced on Thursday that it was “if the World Cup in-person qualifiers are successful” in March 2026 and that it was friendly with the Ivory Coast. The date clashes with the playoffs of the second-placed team.
This was Germany’s opening game in Group A, where we saw Northern Ireland defeated Luxembourg 3-1 on Thursday.
Spain is exploring victory
European champion Spain took an early lead with a five-minute goal from Mikel Oyarzabal, winning Bulgaria 3-0 in the opening qualifying game for both teams. Mark Cuclera and Mikel Merino scored to expand the Spanish lead.
Ugurcan Cakir’s jumping save of extra time meant that Turkey stopped beating Georgia 3-2 in the opening qualifiers despite forward Barris Alper Irmaz being sent just four minutes after coming from the bench.
The perfect start for the Dutch team is spoiled
Matty Cash scored to save Poland’s 1-1 draw after a perfect start to the Netherlands qualifying.
Denzel Dumfries’ corner header took the Netherlands to course with three wins from three games without acknowledging goals, but levelled Poland’s score in the 80th minute with a fierce shot from the edge of the penalty area.
Not all teams have started World Cup qualifying at the same time due to their international league commitments earlier this year.
Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski I returned to my actions as a captain of Poland. After temporarily leaving the national team in June during a conflict with former coach Mikal Proviertz.
Lithuania and Malta drew 1-1 in other group G-games on Thursday.
Belgium’s 6-0 victory
Belgium started slowly against little Liechtenstein, leading only 1-0 at halftime, but turned it into a 6-0 defeat, including two goals from Aston Villa’s Youri Tielemans and two goals from Napoli’s Kevin de Bruin.
Wales took the lead in Group J, beating Kazakhstan 1-0, but played two games, Belgium’s third place and above. Wales almost dropped points when Kazakhstan’s Serikzan Muzikov hit a free kick against the crossbar in the final act of the game.
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