Slovakia 2-0 Germany
Four-time World Cup winners Germany suffered a shocking defeat at the start of the World Cup qualifiers, falling 2-0 to Slovakia.
Just a day after Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann spoke about his team’s World Cup ambitions, Slovakia stunned the reigning giants with a memorable victory on their home turf on Thursday night. The hosts scored one goal in each half to seal the win.
The breakthrough came late in the first half when David Hanzko put Slovakia ahead. The second goal came early in the second half, with David Strelčech scoring a superb strike to double the lead.
This marked the first meeting between the two sides in over nine years and Slovakia’s fourth-ever win against Germany, their first since May 2016. Meanwhile, Germany extended their winless streak to four matches, losing the last three. Nagelsmann’s side had also been defeated by Portugal and France in the Nations League last June.
Although Germany dominated possession and shots on goal, they failed to convert. They held the ball for nearly 70% of the match, taking 13 shots, but only 4 were on target. Slovakia, by contrast, had 8 shots, with 5 on target and 2 goals.
Slovakia’s first significant chance came in the 20th minute, when a run down the left flank led to a close-range shot by Šáover, saved by Germany’s goalkeeper Oliver Baumann. Germany responded with three shots on target over the next 12 minutes from Maximilian, Joshua Kimmich, and Florian Wirtz, all well-handled by Slovakia’s goalkeeper.
The opening goal arrived in the 42nd minute. Hanzko carried the ball from his own half and played a pass into the box to Strelčech, who slotted it home on his first touch.
Early in the second half, Strelčech scored again to make it 2-0. The goal involved Slovakia’s goalkeeper, who launched the ball forward, headed on by midfielder Iombar, and Strelčech maneuvered past Antonio Rüdiger to finish with a precise left-footed shot into the top corner.
Germany had no answer after falling two goals behind. During the final 4 minutes plus 5 minutes of stoppage time, they failed to register a single shot on target.
In the same group ‘A’ fixture for the 2026 World Cup European qualifiers, Northern Ireland defeated Luxembourg 3-1 on Thursday.
Germany will face Northern Ireland at home in their second match on Sunday, while Slovakia will play Luxembourg on the same day.
