Germany Faces Upset in World Cup Qualifier Against Slovakia
Germany experienced an unexpected defeat against Slovakia in their opening World Cup qualifier held in Bratislava.
David Hancko opened the scoring for the hosts just three minutes before halftime, making a run from his own half before executing a one-two with David Strelec and finishing past German goalkeeper Oliver Baumann.
Ten minutes into the second half, Middlesbrough forward Strelec doubled Slovakia's lead, skillfully outmaneuvering Antonio Rudiger with impressive footwork before curling a shot into the top corner.
This loss marked only the fourth World Cup qualifier that Germany has ever succumbed to.
Julian Nagelsmann's squad included Liverpool's Florian Wirtz and new Newcastle signing Nick Woltemade, but the team struggled to create significant attacking opportunities.
In another match in Group A, Northern Ireland secured a 3-1 victory over Luxembourg and will face Germany next on Sunday at 19:45 BST.
The current round of World Cup qualifying features six four-team groups, with six five-team groups having commenced earlier this year.
The top team from each group will qualify for the World Cup, while the runners-up will enter the playoffs.
In other qualifying matches, Spain triumphed 3-0 against Bulgaria in their opening Group E fixture, with goals from Mikel Oyarzabal, Marc Cucurella, and Mikel Merino.
Additionally, Poland managed to secure a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands in Group G, thanks to a late equalizer from Matty Cash, after Denzel Dumfries had initially put the Dutch side ahead.
Belgium also had a commanding performance, defeating Liechtenstein 6-0 in Group J, while earlier in the day, Wales edged Kazakhstan 1-0.