Germany Vs Northern Ireland Highlights, FIFA World Cup Qualifiers: GER 3-1 NIR; Hosts Earn First Win Of Campaign

Greetings and welcome to everyone joining us tonight for some FIFA World Cup qualifying action. Germany host Northern Ireland in a quest to make amends for their 0-2 upset to Slovakia earlier. Stay with us for the build-up and live updates.

The match kicks off at 12:15am IST. The Germany vs Northern Ireland, FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers group A clash will be telecast on the Sony Sports Network TV channels in India. It will be live streamed on the Sony LIV app and website in the country.

This is how the Joshua Kimmich-led Germany line up for tonight's clash against Northern Ireland:

And here is Northern Ireland's line-up:

We are off at RheinEnergieStadion. Germany attacking from left to right and Northern Ireland from right to left in the first half.

That's the kind of statement Germany wanted, early doors. Nick Woltemade wrests the ball in midfield from Eoin Toal and passes it on to Serge Gnabry. The forward speeds away and dribbles into the box, where he beats Bailey Peacock-Farrell with his shot in the seventh minute.

Northern Ireland now gaining some rhythm, stringing together a series of nice, incisive passes and garnering corners as a result. Nothing to trouble the German defence yet but enough to keep the visiting fans interested.

And there comes the reward! Another Northern Ireland corner and this time, an unmarked Isaac Price breaks away to slot home a volley into the far post's top corner. It's a superb cross and an even better finish that brings the visitors level in the 33rd minute.

It's all square at the end of the first half in Cologne. Michael O'Neill's side have done really well to bounce back after Serge Gnabry's early strike and it is anybody's game at this stage.

Germany attacking from right to left and Northern Ireland from left to right in the second half. What happens in the next 45 minutes could be instrumental in the final Group A standings of the qualifiers.

Over in Konya, Spain have hit hosts Turkiye for a six with around half an hour still to play in the Group E fixture. Mikel Merino has netted a hat-trick, while Pedri has scored a brace in Spain's masterclass so far.

Germany are rampant! Julian Nagelsmann's men score twice in a space of three minutes to regain ascendance. Nadiem Amiri first capitalizes on the space in front of the Northern Ireland goal to tap David Raum's ball in, in the 69th. Florian Wirtz then crafts a sublime free-kick that soars past the wall and into the top corner in the 72nd to hand Germany a two-goal advantage.

Four minutes of stoppage time added after the regulation 90 end in Cologne. Only a miracle can prevent Northern Ireland's defeat from here on.

Northern Ireland are unable to breach the German defence in the added four minutes, and Nagelsmann's side win 3-1 to get their campaign back on track after a shock 0-2 loss to Slovakia. Germany are still third in Group A with three points though, behind Northern Ireland who have as many points but a superior goal difference.