Germany emphatically booked their ticket to next year’s FIFA World Cup with a commanding 6-0 victory over Slovakia in their final qualifying match. The host nation delivered a first-half masterclass, netting four goals to effectively decide the contest before the interval.
Nick Woltemade opened the scoring in the 18th minute, nodding home a header for his fourth goal in three international appearances. Serge Gnabry doubled the advantage shortly after, finishing a precise pass from Leon Goretzka. The relentless pressure continued as Leroy Sané scored twice in quick succession, both times set up by Florian Wirtz, to put the result beyond doubt before halftime.
Substitutes Ridle Baku and Assan Ouédraogo added late goals in the second period, with the latter, at 19 years old, becoming the youngest debutant to score for Germany. The comprehensive win sealed top spot in the group, sending Slovakia into the playoff round scheduled for March.
In other qualifying action, the Netherlands confirmed their place at the finals with a straightforward 4-0 home win against Lithuania. A goal from Tijjani Reijnders gave the Dutch a halftime lead before a flurry of second-half strikes from Cody Gakpo, Xavi Simons, and Donyell Malen secured the three points and first place in their group.
Poland, despite a 3-2 away win in Malta courtesy of a late Piotr Zielinski goal, finished second and will enter the playoffs.
Elsewhere, Northern Ireland ended their campaign with a narrow 1-0 victory over Luxembourg, the lone goal coming from a Jamie Donley penalty. The Czech Republic concluded their schedule with a 6-0 rout of Gibraltar, having already secured a playoff berth.