Germany 6-0 Slovakia: Sane at the double in World Cup qualifying rout
Germany are heading to the 2026 World Cup after a flurry of first-half goals helped them on their way to a big win over Slovakia in Leipzig.
Leroy Sane scored twice and assisted one as Germany earned a dominant 6-0 win over Slovakia that secured their place at the 2026 World Cup.
Both teams were level on 12 points at the top of Group A, but Julian Nagelsmann's side were ruthless to ensure they would finish in the automatic qualifying spot at Slovakia's expense.
Nick Woltemade started the scoring in the 18th minute as he rose high, while unmarked in the box, to glance Joshua Kimmich's cross into the bottom-left corner.
Serge Gnabry then raced in behind to force Martin Dubravka into a save with his feet, but the 30-year-old soon got onto the scoresheet, guiding his strike past the goalkeeper while one-on-one.
A quickfire Sane double then put Germany out of sight, with Florian Wirtz setting up both. Sane brought down a looping pass over the top to slot past Dubravka in the 36th minute.
He then volleyed a stunning effort off the outside of his boot and into the roof of the net just five minutes later.
Slovakia offered little threat of a comeback after the break, though Germany got their fifth in the 67th minute. Gnabry, who had missed another golden opportunity between Sane's goals, laid it off to Ridle Baku, who rolled it into the empty net.
A wonderful team move saw Germany quickly move the ball upfield, and after some clever footwork, Sane laid it off to debutant Assan Ouedraogo to fizz a low shot past Dubravka to cap the scoring.
In the other group game, Northern Ireland edged to a 1-0 win over Luxembourg thanks to a Jamie Donley penalty, and finished third.
Data Debrief: Germany get their revenge
Germany's 2-0 defeat to Slovakia in the qualifying opener marked a stunning result, and just the second time they had lost a World Cup qualifier by more than one goal.
However, they put things right on Monday to earn a fifth such win in a row, their longest such streak since a run of seven between September-November 2021.
They had 22 shots, 10 of which were on target, as they generated 3.95 expected goals (xG). Slovakia, by comparison, accumulated 0.38 xG from six attempts.
Perhaps most important, given his recent criticism, Wirtz finished with two assists from six chances created, while only Jonathan Tah (119) had more touches than him (96).
