Germany expectedly dominated the game right from the start and enjoyed the majority of the possession in the first 20 minutes, as well as having five shots on goal. Unfortunately for them, none of the attempts were on target and the scoreboard remained unchanged. In between, Northern Ireland did find the back of the net from a counter-attack but it was ruled offside.
The four-time world champions finally broke the deadlock just past the half-hour mark as Newcastle United star Nick Woltemade headed the ball into the net with an unorthodox finish off his back from David Raum's corner. Woltemade, who has already scored three Premier League goals in four appearances for the Magpies since joining them at the end of the summer, continued with his fine form.
Borussia star Karim Adeyemi had the golden opportunity to double his team's lead at the start of the second half, as he was fed a perfect through ball by Florian Wirtz just a minute after the game resumed following the break. Adeyemi received the pass and made a run towards the goal before launching a left-footed shot from inside the box from a one-on-one situation, however, the winger failed to keep his shot on target from close range. Wirtz, who is struggling for form since joining Liverpool for a record transfer fee, could have benefited by registering an assist had the speedster found the back of the net.
Northern Ireland dominated the Germans for a brief spell around the hour mark and had two close chances to restore parity. First, Shea Charles attempted a volley from inside the box and kept his shot in the frame, but Oliver Baumann did well to deny him a goal. A minute later, the goalkeeper sent a terrible pass towards Joshua Kimmich on the right flank, which the Bayern star somehow managed to keep in play but in the process, he gave away possession to the opposition near their penalty box. Ethan Galbraith won the ball and approached the goal but his powerful attempt was somehow parried away by Baumann.
The hosts once again came close to scoring the equaliser in the dying minutes of the match when second half substitute Josh Magennis fired a shot from inside the box but his attempt got deflected off a German player.
