Germany's win over Northern Ireland was 'ugly', concedes Nagelsmann
Germany made it three wins on the bounce in World Cup qualifying, but they were made to work hard for the three points in Belfast.
Julian Nagelsmann admitted Germany's narrow 1-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Northern Ireland was an "ugly win".
Germany moved top of Group A on goal difference thanks to their victory, with Nick Woltemade's first international goal securing all three points.
However, Nagelsmann's side were made to work hard for their triumph, with Northern Ireland having an early goal disallowed for offside, while the hosts also failed to get a reward for their last pressure.
Germany have now won their last three matches in qualifying, a run which also started with a win over Northern Ireland, but Nagelsmann noted that his team were far from their best in Belfast.
"It definitely wasn't our best game," he said. "The stadium was extremely emotional.
"There were lots of fights to keep possession, and that even made it tough for the referee to notice all the little details. In the end, a set-piece play decided the game.
"We practice set-pieces a lot, because of its importance. All in all, it's difficult to play a nice game when the ball is in the air a lot. You have to fight and go for the duels.
"It was an 'ugly' win, but the most important thing is the three points."
Oliver Baumann had a quiet first half, not facing a single shot on target, but he made three key saves to secure his clean sheet and ensure Germany left with all three points.
However, questions have still been raised over whether he will be the starting goalkeeper at the World Cup, or if Manuel Neuer will come out of retirement for the tournament, should Germany qualify.
"Since Manu [Neuer] retired, we haven't lost a game because of a goalkeeping mistake," Nagelsmann added.
"He is playing a very good season for Bayern [Munich], but we don't have a goalkeeping problem. This discussion does not help anyone, neither our goalkeepers nor Manu himself, who is focused on Bayern."
Meanwhile, Michael O'Neill became just the second Northern Ireland manager to take charge of 100 matches, after Billy Bingham, who also lost his milestone game in charge.
The hosts attempted 12 shots in this game, their highest total in qualifying so far, but O'Neill was ultimately left frustrated by the officiating.
"[The referee was] over fussy and I felt that to give two minutes [stoppage time] at the end of the game is incredible really with the amount of substitutions alone and stoppages," he said.
"I thought Germany were overdramatic when they went down as well, and a lot of time-wasting and that side of things.
"We are disappointed with the performance of the officials."
