Germany to beat Northern Ireland 1-0 in Belfast and take another step towards automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
After starting their campaign with a surprise 2-0 defeat by Slovakia, Germany are top of Group A with nine points from four games.
Slovakia are behind the four-time World Cup winners only on goal difference after they beat Luxembourg in the group’s other game, with Northern Ireland three points further back with two games left to play.
In manager Michael O’Neill’s 100th game in charge of Northern Ireland, Woltemade’s header after half an hour was the only effort on target in a first half played at a high intensity but with little in the way of goalmouth action.
With the score still 0-0 in the 14th minute, Sunderland defender Daniel Ballard thought he had given the hosts the lead, but his celebrations were curtailed by the linesman’s flag with Paddy McNair offside in the build-up.
A quarter of an hour later, Woltemade got above Isaac Price from a David Raum corner and nodded past Bailey Peacock-Farrell.
After excellent play from Ethan Galbraith to tee up the chance, Jamie Reid then lashed Northern Ireland’s best opportunity of the half over the crossbar three minutes before the interval.
Karim Adeyemi should have doubled his side’s advantage two minutes after the restart but fired wide when through on goal and Northern Ireland created the better of the chances thereafter.
Both Shea Charles and Galbraith drew saves from Oliver Baumann in a final 20 minutes played largely in Germany’s third of the pitch.
In the 87th minute, substitute Callum Marshall saw another effort beaten away as his side could just not find the equaliser that would have halted what is now an 11-game losing run against Germany.
