News (engl.)

Germany delivered the response they were looking for after losing 2-0 to Slovakia in their World Cup qualifying opener. Julian Nagelsmann’s team bounced back with a 3-1 win over Northern Ireland in Cologne. The coach, goalscorer Nadiem Amiri and others shared their thoughts on the team’s first victory of the qualifying campaign. DFB.de has summarised the post-match reaction.

Nadiem Amiri: We’re going through a tough spell at the moment, and teams are always doubly motivated when they face us. Northern Ireland played well, but we stood our ground. The most important thing is that we won.

Julian Nagelsmann: I think today was all about momentum. The opposition made it difficult – they just kept playing long balls, which are never easy to defend. They had one chance and it was a great strike. We started the game well and took a deserved lead. The equaliser unsettled us a bit, but that’s understandable after Thursday. The final 30 minutes looked more like us – before that it was a mixed bag. In the end, we deserved the win – and we needed it.

Florian Wirtz: We all know the last match was a disaster, and we wanted to do better today. Against Slovakia, we didn’t bring enough energy to the pitch – we improved on that today. It was a good performance and we can definitely be pleased with it.

David Raum: After Thursday, it wasn’t easy – a few things weren’t right. It’s completely normal and human to be a bit shaken after conceding. We have to learn from our mistakes and show a different mindset. We’re Germany – a major footballing nation. We have to lead with our mentality, and we did that well in the second half today.