Germany 6-0 Slovakia

Nick Woltemade was on the scoresheet again and Leroy Sane grabbed a brace as Germany secured World Cup qualification with a 6-0 thrashing of Slovakia at the Red Bull Arena yesterday. The four time champions dominated the match from start to finish and got an emphatic victory for their efforts.

In the usual Nagelsmann style, Germany started in a 4231 formation with Woltemade up top, flanked on the left and right by Florian Wirtz and Leroy Sane respectively and Serge Gnabry in the second striker role, just behind Woltemade. Slovakia lined up in the classic 433 with David Strelec up top, flanked by Leo Sauer and David Duris on the left and right. Stanislav Lobotka was also in action for his country for the 71st time.

From minute 1, the match betweensaw the German side assert their dominance, ultimately leading to a resounding 6-0 victory and qualification for the World Cup. The opening minutes were characterized by German pressure, with Serge Gnabry registering the first significant attempt on goal in the 4th minute, which was saved by Slovakia’s goalkeeper, M. Dubravka.

The pressure continued as Germany tested the Slovakian defense, although the 9th and 15th minutes saw wayward shots from Nico Schlotterbeck and Florian Wirtz, respectively. It wasn’t long, however, before Germany broke the deadlock. In the 18th minute, Nick Woltemade scored the opening goal with a header, assisted by Joshua Kimmich, putting Germany up 1-0.

Slovakia managed a brief response in the 21st minute when David Duris forced a good save from German goalkeeper Oliver Baumann. Despite this small interlude, the first half remained heavily skewed in Germany’s favor. Gnabry continued to threaten, taking another shot off target in the 22nd minute and then having a crucial one-on-one chance saved by the feet of Dubravka in the 25th minute. A minute later, Dubravka was called into action again to save a shot from Leon Goretzka.

Slovakia made the first substitution of the match under unfortunate circumstances in the 24th minute, bringing on Tomas Rigo for an injured Matus Bero.

Germany’s relentless attacking translated into a quick succession of goals before the half-hour mark. In the 29th minute, Serge Gnabry successfully poked the ball past the keeper after receiving an assist from Leon Goretzka, making it 2-0. Gnabry had another shot saved just three minutes later.

The goals continued to rain down as Germany showcased their clinical finishing. Leroy Sané slotted home the third goal in the 36th minute after receiving a long pass from Florian Wirtz and after another Gnabry shot went off target in the 40th minute, Sané struck again in the 41st minute, volleying a stunning effort into the net. This goal, assisted by Wirtz, marked Wirtz’s second assist of the night and brought the score to 4-0. The half ended with one last shot from Gnabry in injury time.

The second half began with Slovakia making a double substitution , taking off Ondrej Duda for Lubomir Satka and Norbert Gyomber for Ivan Schranz . Germany also made one, with Felix Nmecha coming on for Aleksandar Pavlovic. Despite the changes, the flow of the match did not shift. Within the first 15 minutes of the second half, Martin Dubravka resumed as the busiest Slovakian player. L. Sané was denied a hat-trick in the 50th minute by a save. At the other end, Baumann saved David Duris’s shot in the 52nd minute. Germany’s dominance was reaffirmed when David Raum’s shot on goal was again saved in the 55th minute.

As the game progressed past the hour mark, Germany began utilizing their bench. Malick Thiaw replaced Nico Schlotterbeck in the 63rd minute, followed by Ridle Baku replacing Joshua Kimmich in the 64th minute. L. Sané had another shot in the 65th minute.

The changes had an immediate impact as substitute Ridle Baku fired home from close range just three minutes after coming on, assisted by Serge Gnabry, to make the score 5-0. Slovakia responded with a substitution of their own, bringing on Tomas Bobcek for David Strelec in the 68th minute.

Germany continued to integrate fresh legs. Nathaniel Brown came on for D. Raum in the 72nd minute. The 77th minute saw a significant moment as young Assan Ouedraogo came on for Florian Wirtz, making his senior debut for the German national team. The debutant wasted no time in making his mark. Just two minutes later, in the 79th minute, Ouedraogo scored Germany’s sixth goal, assisted by Leroy Sané, marking a memorable debut goal.

Slovakia made their final substitution in the 82nd minute, with Peter Pekarik replacing David Duris. Even with the score at 6-0, Germany pushed for more. In the 85th minute, Ouedraogo set up Felix Nmecha for an attempt, with the shot going just off target.

The final whistle came in the 91st minute with Germany winning 6-0, a commanding performance that secured their World Cup qualification.