Slovakia shock Germany in WC qualifying defeat; Spain, Belgium win big
Published: 05 September 2025, 5:13:55
Slovakia capitalized on defensive errors as David Hancko and David Strelec scored to seal a historic 2-0 win in Bratislava, stunning a disjointed German side.
The result leaves Germany, a four-time World Cup winner, under immediate pressure to win all remaining five qualifiers to avoid the playoffs.
Coach Julian Nagelsmann slammed his team’s lack of passion and hinted he might drop technically superior players in favour of those who “just give everything.”
The loss marks only the fourth time Germany; including West Germany, has lost a World Cup qualifier and only the second by more than one goal.
Elsewhere, Spain began their campaign with a comfortable 3-0 win over Bulgaria, with goals from Mikel Oyarzabal, Marc Cucurella and Mikel Merino.
Belgium thrashed Liechtenstein 6-0 after a slow start, led by Youri Tielemans and Kevin De Bruyne.
Netherlands’ perfect start ended in a 1-1 draw with Poland, thanks to a late equalizer from Matty Cash.
Turkey edged Georgia 3-2 in a thriller despite being reduced to 10 men, while Wales went top of their group with a narrow 1-0 win over Kazakhstan.
