Germany fall apart! Julian Nagelsmann's men stunned by incisive Slovakia as World Cup qualification campaign gets off to worst possible start in Bratislava

From the opening whistle, Slovakia made it clear they were not there to roll over for the giants of Germany. Francesco Calzona’s men lined up in a disciplined 4-5-1, morphing into a sharp 4-3-3 whenever they turned defence into attack. The plan was simple yet brutal: frustrate and break.

The livewire in this tactical script was Leo Sauer. The youngster danced down the left, tormenting Nnamdi Collins with his twists and feints. Even the experienced Joshua Kimmich dropped in to help, but he too was spun inside out as Sauer bulldozed his way into dangerous positions.

It was a disjointed German side in attack, and apart from a stinging effort from Florian Wirtz, they had little to show for their efforts. The absence of Jamal Musiala was evident, as the visitors craved some creative inspiration. The trio of Nick Woltemade (9), Wirtz (28), and Serge Gnabry (25) combined for just 62 touches, a damning statistic of their ineffective link-up in the first half. Kimmich himself racked up 54 touches, but most of them came while loitering near centre-backs Rudiger and Tah, far away from where Germany needed him.

Then came the gut punch. Three minutes before the break, Slovakia delivered the moment they had been threatening. David Hancko robbed possession in midfield and surged through the German heartland as if it were wide open countryside. Neither Rudiger nor Tah closed him down, leaving a chasm of space. Hancko exchanged a crisp one-two with Strelec before calmly sliding the ball past a helpless Oliver Baumann.

Julian Nagelsmann tried to patch up Germany’s defensive cracks by hauling off the tormented Nnamdi Collins for David Raum. But the shuffle hardly steadied the ship. After setting up the first goal, Strelec turned the contest on its head in the 55th minute, wriggling past a flat-footed Rudiger, leaving the Real Madrid man sprawled on the turf. With a thunderous strike into the top corner, he sent the home crowd into raptures, his celebration drowned out by a stadium shaking with disbelief. 

Nagelsmann’s reaction was swift. Nadiem Amiri and Karim Adeyemi were thrown into the fray, and Germany poured forward in waves. But the Slovak wall stood defiant. Blocks, tackles, and sheer determination snuffed out every half-chance as the four-time world champions were reduced to hopeful long-range efforts.

On a night when heroes were made, Strelec shone brightest. From leading the press to bullying defenders, his performance was flawless. A goal and an assist told only half the story; his relentless energy and fearless swagger drove his nation to one of their greatest triumphs. His second goal bore eerie echoes of Lionel Messi’s famous demolition of Jérôme Boateng in Europe years ago, a defender dumped to the grass, a striker cementing his legacy with one lethal swing of the boot.

For Rudiger and Tah, it was a night to forget. Both were repeatedly undone by Slovakia’s pace and aggression. Rüdiger’s collapse in the build-up to Strelec’s wonder strike summed up his struggles, a grim reminder of why his club form has been questioned at Real Madrid.

For Germany, this was a brutal setback, a reminder that reputation means nothing without bite. They must regroup fast, with a clash against Northern Ireland on September 7 now looming large.