The German national team faced Northern Ireland in the last game of their international break this year before the players head back to their respective clubs to play the regular season. One would’ve thought that with this being the last game, spirits would’ve been high and Germany would be fighting for a big win, but it was the opposite. They struggled to find their footing for the starting portions of the game while their opponents forced several situations and played bravely. Later, with a goal from Nick Woltemade, Germany were able to break the deadlock and bag three points.
Joshua Kimmich has played a solid set of games for Germany so far. Crossing a 100 caps, he plays defensive midfield or right-back, whichever is asked of him by manager Julian Nagelsmann. Following the game. Kimmich expressed his thoughts on what he felt was a ‘wild’ game.
“We hoped we’d have more control, but the game was ‘wild’ overall,” he stated, per @iMiaSanMia.
“The first half was back and forth, in the second half we had a bit more control but only for a short period. It was a real fight,” he further went on. ”The most important thing today for us as a group was the three points. We changed our situation completely. Now we have everything in our hands,” he said, referring to Germany’s hopes for further games and the upcoming World Cup.
Further speaking on the defensive side of things, Kimmich spoke on the relief of not having conceded in both games played in this break — against Luxembourg and Northern Ireland, ”We didn’t concede a goal in both games. It wasn’t nice, but if you had told me before the games that we’d win both without conceding, I’d have taken it,” he declared.
The German national team knew it would need to step up its efforts against Northern Ireland.
While not a powerhouse, the Northern Ireland squad was game and made life very tough during Germany’s 1-0 victory. It was not pretty and it was not likely the kind of dominant result that fans wanted to see, but it was a stiff test and one where the Germans could not afford to come out flat.
Intensity and focus were there, but execution was not. Regardless, it was a win for Germany. Let’s dive into the details. This is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show: