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Key Events

90' + 1'
J. Brandt
T. Kroos
6 - 1
73'
L. Goretzka
Goal
5 - 1
60'
S. Gnabry
J. Brandt
4 - 1
47'
S. Gnabry
L. Klostermann
3 - 1
43'
L. Goretzka
J. Hector
2 - 1
3
0
3
0
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Match Stats

Possession
72% 27%
9
2
Shots Off Target
Shots On Target 11 1
Total Passes 850 311
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Commentary

That's all from us tonight folks, we hope you enjoyed the game!
Germany finish top of Group C, ahead of Netherlands, despite their 5-0 victory over Estonia in the other game. Meanwhile Northern Ireland finish third and they will take part in the play-offs in March, for their place in Euro 2020.
Germany wrap up a 6-1 victory over Northern Ireland in Frankfurt, thanks to a superb second half performance and hat-trick from Gnabry. It was 2-1 at the break, after Smith put the visitors ahead early on, but Gnabry and Goretzka scored to hand the Germans the advantage. Gnabry then scored his second less than a minute after the restart, before grabbing his third on 60 minutes. Goals from Goretzka and Brandt then sealed the win, as Germany dominated the second half and punished a tired Northern Ireland defence.
90' + 3' FULL-TIME: GERMANY 6-1 NORTHERN IRELAND
T. Kroos
Assist
Germany
90' + 1' Kroos with another superb delivery, spotting the run of Brandt in behind the visitors defence, who made no mistakes with the finish.
J. Brandt
Goal
Germany
90' + 1' GOOOAAALLL! Brandt makes it 6-1 Germany! The winger drifts out wide and then cuts inside as he receives the ball over the top by Kroos and he beats Flanagan, before smashing the ball into the top right-hand corner of the net. Peacock-Farrell had no chance of saving that.
90' There will be a minimum of three minutes added time played here.
89' It's still the Northern Ireland supporters that you can hear inside the stadium now, they've been lively all night.
87' There's just a few minutes left to play now, the pace of the game has dropped significantly, with Germany happy to just see the game out.
85' Against Netherlands last time out, Steven Davis became the first player to miss a penalty for Northern Ireland (excluding shootouts) since David Healy in a friendly against Scotland in August 2008.
S. Lavery
J. Magennis
Northern Ireland
83' Third and final Northern Ireland substitution now, with Magennis replaced by Lavery.
N. Amiri
S. Gnabry
Germany
80' Another Germany substitution now, with Gnabry coming off and he has been replaced by Amiri.
79' Excellent play by Kimmich! Terrific run by the midfielder, he receives the ball over the top and controls the ball brilliantly, turning away from his marker and then firing a shot towards the far corner of the net, but it flies just wide from a tight angle.
L. Boyce
P. McNair
Northern Ireland
77' Northern Ireland make their second substitution of the game, with McNair coming off the pitch and he has been replaced by Boyce.
75' There are a lot of tired players out there on the pitch for Northern Ireland now, they are trying to keep the ball and limit the amount of goals Germany score in the final 15 minutes.
S. Serdar
L. Goretzka
Germany
73' That's Goretzka's final piece of action tonight, he is replaced by Serdar.
L. Goretzka
Goal
Germany
73' GOOOAAALLL! That's the fifth Germany goal, it's 5-1! Goretzka with his second goal of the game and what a strike it is. Kroos tries to feed the striker, but it's blocked by a couple of Northern Ireland defenders, before falling to Goretzka on the edge of the penalty area, who fires a first-time strike at goal and it flies straight into the bottom left-hand corner.
71' In the other game in group C, Netherlands are now beating Estonia 3-0. However, it looks like Germany have this victory wrapped up and will top the group.
69' Northern Ireland have won three of their last four away games in all competitions (L1), as many as they had in the previous 17 such fixtures beforehand (W3 D7 L7).
67' Good strike! Goretzka finds space on the edge of the penalty area, he turns and then fires the ball towards the bottom left-hand corner, but it skids off the surface and just past the post.
C. McLaughlin
C. Evans
Northern Ireland
65' Northern Ireland also make a change, with Evans replaced by McLaughlin.
N. Stark
L. Klostermann
Germany
65' Germany make their substitution first, with Klostermann heading off the pitch and he has been replaced by Stark.
64' It looks like both teams are lining up their first changes of the game, with Northern Ireland needing to get some fresh legs on the pitch.
62' It's all Germany now and Northern Ireland are just chasing the ball around the pitch. This could be a long final half an hour for the visitors.
J. Brandt
Assist
Germany
60' Brandt picked out Gnabry in the penalty area, who had raced into the middle and his team-mate did the rest with a fine finish.
S. Gnabry
Goal
Germany
60' GOOOAAALLL! German lead 4-1 and that's the hat-trick for Gnabry! Brandt plays a quick ball into the feet of Gnabry, who holds off Flanagan, turns and then slides the ball into the far corner of the net from a tight angle.
58' CLOSE! Gnabry should make it 4-1 with a glancing header, after a terrific cross into the box by Hector and Gnabry gets ahead of his marker and tries to glance the ball into the far corner of net, but he gets too much it and it drifts wide of the post.
56' Germany have only lost one of their last 32 competitive home games (W25 D6), a 2-4 reverse against Netherlands during this EURO 2020 qualifying campaign.
54' Close! Klostermann gets into the box and his first cross is blocked, but the rebound falls straight back to him and the right-back drills the ball into the sidenetting.
52' SAVE! Kroos goes for goal from the edge of the box, the ball skids off the greasy surface and flies towards the bottom left-hand corner of the net, but Peacock-Farrell gets down quickly and pushes it round the post and out for a corner.
51' Gnabry looks eager to get a hat-trick here, he is all over the final third, drifting across the backline and that's why Northern Ireland are struggling to deal with him.
49' Germany are just controlling the game now, keeping the ball really well and Northern Ireland are chasing it around the pitch, unable to get a touch on the ball at the moment.
L. Klostermann
Assist
Germany
47' Klostermann just drifts in behind the Northern Ireland defence and is allowed too much time and space to pass to Gnabry, who was also allowed a lot of space to pick his spot.
S. Gnabry
Goal
Germany
47' GOOAAALLL! Gnabry scores his second goal of the game and makes it 3-1 to Germany! Kimmich chips a terrific ball to Klostermann down the right wing, who then pulls it back to Gnabry, who fires the ball into the bottom corner. Perfect finish.
46' The second half is under way!
As it stands, Germany will top Group C with the win ahead of Netherlands and they'll be hoping to score a few more in the second half in order to secure that position. Northern Ireland have had to sit deep for long spells, with few attacks of their own.
Germany lead 2-1 at the break, despite Northern Ireland taking an early lead through Smith. The visitors scored with their first attack of the game, Smith powering the ball into the back of the net with a superb volley from 25 yards out. However their lead didn't last long, with Gnabry levelling the scoreline on 19 minutes, after a lovely turn and finish, following a cross into the box by Hector. Germany continued to press forward and finally got their reward, with Goretzka putting them ahead just before the break, with a scrappy finish from close range.
45' HALF-TIME: GERMANY 2-1 NORTHERN IRELAND
J. Hector
Assist
Germany
43' That's two assists for Hector, two very similar crosses from the Germany left-back, he runs into space down the left wing and gets the ball into a good area for Goretzka to finish.
L. Goretzka
Goal
Germany
43' GOOOAAALLL! Germany take the lead just before the break, it's 2-1! Goretzka with the goal, getting in the right place at the right time. Hector gets in behind Smith down the left after a lovely cross by Kroos, the left-back then drills the ball into the box, which Gnabry misses, but Goretzka pokes it home from close range. The ball strikes the post, just out of the reach of Peacock-Farrell and then trickles over the line.
41' Northern Ireland are winless in their last three qualifying games for the European Championship (D1 L2); they had won 10 of their previous 14 such matches prior to this (D3 L1).
39' There's not too long left to play in the first half now, can either side score another before the break and put their side ahead? Germany certainly look the more likely.
37' Can doesn't look comfortable at centre-back for Germany, with Magennis winning nearly everything over him and the Juve man looks vulnerable.
35' Northern Ireland seem happy for the hosts to play the ball out wide, as there is more danger in letting them get down the middle of the pitch. So far they are dealing well with all aerial balls into the penalty area.
33' Good defending! Ferguson has to get across quickly to deny Goretzka a shooting opportunity, the left-back just makes the block in time and puts the ball out for a Germany corner.
32' The pace of the game has dropped slightly in the last few minutes, with Germany taking their foot off the throttle and Northern Ireland are defending well in numbers.
30' It's 1-1 at the half an hour mark here in Frankfurt between Germany and Northern Ireland. The other game in Group C is between Netherlands and Estonia, which the Netherlands are currently winning 2-0.
28' Nice play down the left-wing by Northern Ireland, Magennis, Saville and Thompson link up well, with the latter getting into the final third and getting a cross into the penalty area, but it's turned out of play by Can.
26' Germany are unbeaten in their last 11 meetings with Northern Ireland, drawing three and winning the last eight in a row since a 0-1 home loss in November 1983.
24' Magennis is finding it very difficult up top on his own for Northern Ireland, he is the long ball option up front and is trying to hold the ball up when he can, but due to the visitors sitting so deep and defending, he doesn't have any team-mates to pass to and keep possession.
22' Poor tackle by Saville on Kimmich, he is probably lucky to get away with just a warning from the referee there.
21' Northern Ireland had been sitting deeper and deeper just before the equalising goal and they've now got a very tough evening ahead of them, with the hosts dominating the game.
J. Hector
Assist
Germany
19' Lovely play by Hector down the left wing, he links up well with Gnabry, playing the ball perfectly into the feet of the winger.
S. Gnabry
Goal
Germany
19' GOOOAAALLL! Germany level the scoreline, it's 1-1! Wonderful turn and finish by Gnabry, making the Germany pressure count and they are back into the game. Hector gets to the byline, he drags the ball back to Gnabry, who turns and then drills the ball into the top right-hand corner of the net, out of the reach of Peacock-Farrell.
17' Germany are ramping up the pressure on the visitors now, they've stepped up the pace of their game and are getting more and more crosses into the box, making the Northern Ireland defence work.
15' Northern Ireland’s only away win against Germany in all competitions came in EURO 1984 qualifying, and a 1-0 victory thanks to a Norman Whiteside goal.
13' Germany don't look comfortable at all at the back, with Magennis causing them problems up front on his own and the visitors look dangerous in the final third.
11' OFF THE POST! Another chance for Germany! Kroos once again pulling the strings in midfield for the hosts, he squares the ball into the penalty area, looking for Gundogan, but his strike hits the post and then bounces dangerously around the box, before the Irish finally clear the danger.
10' GREAT SAVE! Peacock-Farrell with a superb stop to deny Gnabry from close range. Kroos delivers a terrific chipped ball into the box to Gnabry, who controls it and then just had the keeper to beat, but Peacock-Farrell is quickly off his line and makes himself as big as possible, blocking the effort.
9' What a start this is for Northern Ireland, they had barely touched the ball in the Germany half of the pitch before the goal and the hosts look shocked at the moment.
M. Smith
Goal
Northern Ireland
7' GOOOAAALLL! Northern Ireland take the lead, it's 1-0! The visitors score with their first attack of the game and what a strike it is from Smith, to fire the ball past Ter Stegen and into the back of the net. Saville crosses the ball into the box after Magennis wins a throw-in deep inside the Germany half. Kroos heads the ball away to the edge of the area and Smith meets it on the volley, drilling it into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal from 25 yards out.
6' Almost! Brandt finds space at the far post, after a lovely cross into the box from the right wing, but he is unable to control it and Smith clears the danger in the nick of time.
5' The traveling supporters are certainly making their voices heard inside the stadium, there is a healthy following from the Northern Irish and they'll be in a jubilant mood, knowing that no matter what happens in this game, they have guareented a play-off spot.
3' It's all Germany in these early stages, they are keeping the ball well and have Northern Ireland camped inside their own half, having to sit deep and soak up the pressure.
1' We're under way!
The teams are out on the pitch and kick-off is just a few minutes away, stay tuned for all of the match action!
Northern Ireland have made three changes to their starting XI, with Jonny Evans, Stuart Dallas and Jamal Lewis are missing out due to injury, they have been replaced by Flanagan and Thompson, who are making their competitive starts for their country. The final player coming into the team is Ferguson.
Ter Stegen replaces Neuer in goal for Germany, with Kroos taking the captains armband. Ginter, Sule, Schulz, Werner and Reus also drop out of the team, they have been replaced by Can, Hector, Gundogan, Goretzka and Brandt.
NORTHERN IRELAND SUBS: Shayne Lavery, Niall McGinn, Ciaron Brown, Trevor Carson, Matthew Kennedy, Liam Donnelly, Michael McGovern, Conor McLaughlin, Liam Boyce, Kyle Lafferty.
NORTHERN IRELAND (3-5-2): Bailey Peacock-Farrell; Paddy McNair, Craig Cathcart, Tom Flanagan; Michael Smith, Corry Evans, Steven Davis, George Saville, Shane Ferguson; Jordan Thompson, Josh Magennis.
GERMANY SUBS: Bernd Leno, Sebastian Rudy, Robin Koch, Matthias Ginter, Suat Serdar, Manuel Neuer, Nadiem Amiri, Niklas Stark, Nico Schulz, Timo Werner.
GERMANY (4-3-3): Marc-Andre Ter Stegen; Lukas Klostermann, Emre Can, Jonathan Tah, Jonas Hector; Ilkay Gundogan, Joshua Kimmich, Toni Kroos; Leon Goretzka, Serge Gnabry, Julian Brandt.
Meanwhile Northern Ireland are third, on 13 points, after four wins, one draw and two defeats. They drew 0-0 with Netherlands on Saturday, a game that they had to win if they wanted to secure automatic qualification to Euro 2020.
Germany and Netherlands have already qualified from Group C, so Northern Ireland have to settle for a play-off spot, which will take place in March next year. Top spot in the group is still up for grabs, with Germany currently top, with six wins and one defeat in their qualifying campaign.
Hello and welcome to our LIVE match commentary of the Euro 2020 qualifier between Germany and Northern Ireland at the Commerzbank Stadium in Frankfurt.
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