Nagelsmann: "Today the table was simply important"
Thanks to a hard-fought 1-0 victory in Belfast against a fierce Northern Irish side, the German national team is entering the home stretch in terms of World Cup qualification. A fact that brought relief to the DFB camp and pushed other matters into the background.
Hug: Goalscorer Nick Woltemade (left) and national coach Julien Nagelsmann after the match in Belfast. Picture alliance/dpa
"It certainly wasn't a particularly beautiful game," Julian Nagelsmann said on RTL after the match in Belfast. The national coach, however, expressed his satisfaction with his victorious team: "The way the Northern Irish embraced their emotions, the stadium, and the way the German national team played—all of that pleased him."
The fact that football highlights were lacking and the German team barely threatened after halftime – with the exception of a great chance by Karim Adeyemi (Nagelsmann: "He should make it 2-0") – was of course not lost on the national coach. But that wasn't the issue today. Because: "Today, the table was simply important. Playing a great footballing game here isn't easy. There are a lot of aerial duels, a lot of fighting, a lot of battles, and the pitch isn't that easy either. So today it was simply a case of winning by the skin of your teeth, wiping your mouth, and getting three points."
Joshua Kimmich , who moved into the top 10 most-capped German internationals with his 105th cap, also summed up the match. "I had hoped we would get the game a little more under control. In the second half, it was a little better for a short time. Otherwise, it was a real battle, but we all want to get to the tournament," said the DFB captain, referring to the World Cup goal.
Referring to the two victories in the current international break, which also secured the lead in Group A, the 30-year-old said with delight: "We've completely changed our starting position and now have everything in our own hands. That's all we wanted. And we didn't concede a goal. It certainly wasn't a brilliant performance today, but it was a very important win for us as a group."
In fact, the German national team can book its ticket to the World Cup in November with two more wins without any calculations - also thanks to Northern Ireland's help in the 2-0 victory against Slovakia .
The manner of Nick Woltemade 's winning goal of the evening, scoring for the first time in his sixth international match, certainly suited the hard-fought match. "It was very important for me personally. Things haven't been going so well with the national team so far. The goal with his shoulder was fitting," said the happy goalscorer, who hit the post just wide of a corner after just over half an hour.
As Nagelsmann also emphasized, the recent high number of goals from set pieces is no coincidence: "I don't want to give too much away," said Woltemade, "but we're already working hard on set pieces, we're very well prepared, and we always have several options to remember. That way, we're becoming a bit more unpredictable, which is important."
Although Woltemade also experienced a "nasty game," he himself enjoyed the numerous tackles, which also had something to do with his recent past. "Since moving to the Premier League, I'm used to something a little different now," he said – and would have even liked a bit more freedom in terms of duels: "There was a bit more whistle blowing, which isn't often done in the Premier League. I enjoy it. If the leash had been given a bit more, it would have been nice, too."
