Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann was "really proud of the team" after they thumped Slovakia 6-0 in a must-win World Cup qualifying game on Monday. Nagelsmann gave full marks to every single player and praised them for working "like a maniac", as the result ensured Germany's direct passage to next year's World Cup in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico.
Germany secure direct qualification to the 2026 World Cup
Germany completed a demolition job on Monday night in their final World Cup qualifying game, as they beat Slovakia 6-0 to secure direct passage to next year's World Cup.
The hosts opened the scoring through the in-form Nick Woltemade in the 18th minute, with the Newcastle United frontman continuing his rich vein of goal scoring form for his country. Serge Gnabry doubled the lead in the 29th minute, before Leroy Sane – who had been warned by head coach Nagelsmann about not getting many opportunities to prove himself – silenced his critics by bagging a brace in the space of five minutes shortly before the end of the first half.
Substitutes Ridle Baku and Assan Ouedraogo piled further misery on to the Slovaks by grabbing a goal each in the second half. The result was a great demonstration of the potential Germany possess when it comes to inflicting damage on their opponents. It was an important result in the grander scheme of things, with Germany slumping to a shock 2-0 loss to Slovakia in their opening World Cup qualifying game in September.
AdvertisementAFPNagelsmann and Kimmich 'proud' of the performance
Speaking to after the game, Nagelsmann was happy to finish the World Cup qualifiers with a thumping victory, acknowledging the "bumpy start" as well as the pressure ahead of the game, having lost to Slovakia in the reverse fixture.
"I'm really proud of the team," he said. "We had a bumpy start to the qualifiers, and today the pressure was on. It was a very good game. Every player played extremely well today and worked like a maniac. We got into the game really well defensively, thanks to a huge effort. We also scored some great goals and were very convincing in terms of our footballing ability; the team did a really, really good job."
Germany captain Joshua Kimmich was also impressed with what he saw from his team-mates. "We knew that if we played close to our top level, we would win," the Bayern Munich star told reporters. "The coach prepared us superbly, set us up perfectly, and gave us some really good words of encouragement. It was a very, very strong game. Everyone wanted to make a statement today; everyone knew exactly what was at stake."
Other Germany stars react to the win
Several players from the Germany national team reacted to the win and provided their thoughts on the exquisite performance. Centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck, who has become one of the mainstays in defence under Nagelsmann, had no doubts that Die Mannschaft could go on and win the World Cup if they maintained the level on display on Monday.
"If we play like we did today, we're a very good team. And if the guys who are still good for us, the ones who are injured, come back, then I believe we'll have a very good World Cup," he said.
Meanwhile, Woltemade, who has scored four goals in his last three outings for the national team, was relieved after the game, saying: "That was a really good game today. We didn't let anything slip from the first second to the last. We're delighted that we were able to deliver such a performance. It's very, very relieving."
GettyGermany will hope to avoid third straight group stage exit in 2026
This is the 21st time Germany have qualified for the World Cup – second only to Brazil’s 23 – but they have struggled to reach the heights of their triumphant 2014 campaign. In both 2018 and 2022, they suffered shock eliminations in the group stage. As a result, immense pressure now rests on Nagelsmann and his squad to defy the odds and ensure history does not repeat itself for a third consecutive World Cup.