Upcoming Double-Header, Nagelsmann Faces Off Against Northern Ireland

The German national football team faced a challenging week in their World Cup qualification campaign, with a 0:2 loss to Slovakia and a narrow 3:1 victory over Northern Ireland.

In the match against Slovakia, Julian Nagelsmann made five changes to the starting lineup, with Waldemar Anton and Robin Koch making their debuts in defense, and David Raum and Jamie Leweling new on the wings. However, it was Slovakia who took the lead, with a set piece that went unmarked by Gnabry, leading to the equalizer. Oliver Baumann was powerless against the close-range volley that equalized the score.

The audience booed the German team as they went into the locker room at halftime, with Slovakia leading 1:0. Hummels, who was honoured by the German Football Association for his 78 international matches, took his seat in the stands before the game, hoping for "redemption" for the team after their loss to Slovakia.

In the second half, Leweling created a good chance for Germany, but they were unable to capitalise. Slovakia went on to win 1:0, leaving them at the top of Group A with a three-point lead over Germany.

Antonio Rüdiger received his second yellow card in the World Cup qualification and will be suspended for the next game against Luxembourg in October.

In a bid to turn things around, Nagelsmann made further changes for the game against Northern Ireland, switching from a four-chain defense to a defense with three central defenders. Gnabry scored the opening goal for Germany, his first international goal in over two years, but Northern Ireland equalized before half-time.

However, Germany rallied in the second half, with Nadiem Amiri scoring a substitute goal and Florian Wirtz scoring a free-kick goal to secure a 3:1 victory. Joshua Kimmich and the German team had switched to cruise control in the first half, which led to their passivity being punished.

Despite the victory, the result leaves Germany in second place in Group A, with a tough challenge ahead in the remaining qualifiers. The team will look to bounce back when they face Luxembourg in October.