Anybody seeking confirmation that Florian Wirtz was worthy of a £116m transfer fee would not have found it in Belfast. Instead, it was Nick Woltemade who, courtesy of his maiden goal for his country, endorsed his status as Germany’s man of the moment. It would not be a World Cup without Germany and it will not be a World Cup without Germany. They have edged closer to the 2026 staging. Julian Nagelsmann will enjoy more comfortable evenings on the touchline. For all their technical ­superiority, Germany failed to properly punish a Northern Ireland team who showed wonderful tenacity and grew in belief as the clock ticked down. Continue reading...

German said O’Neill’s approach ‘isn’t easy on the eyes’ Three teams in Group A level on six points The Germany manager, Julian Nagelsmann, has said he is “sorry” if Northern Ireland felt his comments about their style of play were disrespectful. Nagelsmann caused a stir after Germany’s 3-1 World Cup qualifying win over Northern Ireland in Cologne last month when he said Michael O’Neill’s side play “a lot of long balls” with an approach that “isn’t particularly easy on the eyes”. Continue reading...

Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann says Northern Ireland have a "special way" of playing and he did not mean any offence with his comments after his side's 3-1 win in Cologne last month.

Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill says it is not his job to set up the team for any "other manager to come and beat" his side.

BBC Sport NI pundit Stephen Craigan feels comments from Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann on Northern Ireland were "disrespectful".

A stunning strike from Isaac Price was not enough for Northern Ireland as second-half goals earned Germany a 3-1 World Cup qualifying win to ease the pressure on Julian Nagelsmann. Price’s 34th-minute volley cancelled out an early goal from Serge Gnabry and gave Northern Ireland genuine hope of getting something out of the game, but quick-fire goals from the substitute Nadiem Amiri and Liverpool’s £116m man Florian Wirtz settled it midway through the second half. Continue reading...

Stuttgart striker is tournament’s top scorer so far and could stand in way of England’s hopes of reaching the knockouts If there was any doubting Nick Woltemade’s star quality, a brilliant hat-trick in Germany’s opening match of the European Under-21 Championship against Slovenia showed the beanpole striker with numerous nicknames is the real deal. Known variously as Woltemessi, the Tower of Stuttgart, Goaltemade or just plain old Big Nick, he has been the standout player of the first two rounds of matches in Slovakia, having helped to book his side’s place in the quarter-finals with another goal in their win over the Czech Republic on Sunday. With England up next as Germany attempt to seal top spot in Group B and avoid a meeting with the favourites, Spain, in the last eight, the coach, Antonio Di Salvo, has a decision to make. Such has been Woltemade’s success this season that he was also called up by Julian Nagelsmann for the senior squad’s Nations League games and made his debut against Portugal in the semi-final less than a fortnight ago. Continue reading...

Bayern Munich’s domestic dominance returned and Arminia Bielefeld’s remarkable cup run provided the shocks It’s Bayern Munich, despite Mainz and Freiburg, unexpected troublers of the European places, deserving praise for their stratospheric improvement from 2023-24. The Rekordmeister is rarely more provoked than when presented with serious opposition, and Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen had done just that with last term’s domestically unbeaten double-winning exploits. Leverkusen were still excellent but could simply not match Bayern’s pace in the end. They played with dazzle but Vincent Kompany also did the one thing that was beyond Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel in beginning to sort out Bayern’s leaky defence, conceding their lowest total in the Bundesliga (32) since Hansi Flick’s treble-winning season of 2019-20. He also made them competitive in the Champions League, in which they were unlucky to lose to Inter. Continue reading...

Bayern Munich captain Manuel Neuer is ruled out "for the foreseeable future" after tearing a muscle in his right calf.

The Swede, who almost lost a leg at 23, on recovery, success and being the youngest ever Champions League coach Elena Sadiku’s modesty very briefly breaks. “I was pretty good,” she says. “I am not going to lie.” The point is perfectly contextual rather than needlessly arrogant. Sadiku’s extraordinary – and extraordinarily complex – relationship with football will reach its latest peak on Tuesday, when her Celtic team host Twente in the Women’s Champions League. Sadiku, who will not turn 31 until November, will break the record set by Julian Nagelsmann as the youngest coach in the male or female version of European football’s premier club competition. Continue reading...

From Villa’s emotional win to a Dortmund blitz, we hand out honours (and dishonours) from the the second round of action Aston Villa - There wasn’t a dry eye in the house – among home fans anyway – as Aston Villa celebrated beating mighty Bayern Munich. For the German giants, who suffered a first group-stage defeat since 2017, Vincent Kompany’s coaching experience at this level could be in question. But credit Villa’s manager. Just as in the Premier League at Burnley last season, Unai Emery did a number on Kompany, and of the two World Cup-winning keepers, it was Emi Martínez who outshone Manuel Neuer on Wednesday night. Just as in 1982’s European Cup final, Villa beat Bayern 1-0. The goal came from a player who (sort of) shares his surname with Birmingham’s most famous pop group. Jhon Durán’s beautiful, first-time finish caught Neuer roaming. “I never saw where the goalkeeper was,” admitted Durán. He was almost sold in the summer, but has scored six times this season, five as a sub. The Colombian, once of Chicago Fire, is a brilliant finisher, a true wildcard to throw into what was already a dangerous forward line of talented Englishmen in Ollie Watkins, Jaden Philogene, Morgan Rogers and Jacob Ramsey. Villa Park swelled with pride and emotion in England’s second city. Continue reading...

Aston Villa beat Bayern Munich 1-0 at Villa Park in the Champions League. The Aston Villa striker Jhon Durán’s scored the only goal of the night by lobbing an out of position Manuel Neuer from range. Speaking after the shock win, the Aston Villa manager Unai Emery said: 'I can feel now proud of our work.' Unai Emery says Aston Villa targeted Manuel Neuer in triumph over Bayern Continue reading...

Jhon Durán clinched Villa Park win with long-range lobManager alerted players to German’s habit of playing high Unai Emery said Aston Villa targeted Manuel Neuer’s sweeper-keeper habits after Jhon Durán lobbed the Bayern Munich goalkeeper to record a famous Champions League victory. Durán, on as a substitute in place of Ollie Watkins, scored a superb late winner to beat the six-time winners by a single goal, a replica of their 1982 European Cup final triumph against the same team in Rotterdam. Continue reading...

Updates from the 8pm BST kick-off at Villa ParkLive scoreboard – Wednesday’s latest | Email Taha Rio Ferdinand’s getting all worked up and excited over on TNT. The players are on their way out, led by two World Cup winners: Emi Martínez and Manuel Neuer. Villa Park is rocking. Just a few minutes now … get your cup of chamomile/whatever suits ready. Continue reading...