Newcastle star Nick Woltemade continued his bright start to the season as he spared Germany’s blushes with a second-half double against Luxembourg.
Julian Nagelsmann’s men are now on the brink of World Cup qualification after the 6ft 6in striker bagged two goals in 20 minutes in front of a crowd of around 9,000 at the Stade de Luxembourg.
Flanked by Leroy Sane and Florian Wirtz, Woltemade and Co had struggled to find a way through the stodgy and resolute side – who are rooted to the bottom of Group A in the World Cup Qualifiers – in a nervy first half.
With Slovakia on their coattails in the hunt for an automatic spot for next summer’s tournament proper, the pressure was on the Germans to come up with the goods against relative European minnows.
And it was Woltemade, who now has three goals in his last two games on the international stage, who brought relief to the away support in the Gasperich district.
Latching on to an excellent Sane ball, the Newcastle man stretched to stab one home in the 49th-minute and celebrated by showing off a wingspan resembling that of the Angel of the North.
Newcastle man Nick Woltemade spared Germany’s blushes by scoring two in Luxembourg
The 6ft 6in striker opened the scoring after 49 minutes by sliding onto a cross from Leroy Sane
The 23-year-old’s first finish was a masterclass in timing: holding his run and extending his leg at the right time to tap home. His second was even better.
Sane, at the heart of things again on Germany’s right-hand side, spotted Ridle Baku, who had roamed from defence to the edge of the box. The RB Leipzig man took the ball on the turn, and running in behind was Woltemade, taking a delightful ball in his stride before shrugging two defenders off and placing the ball into the bottom corner.
In truth, a second was just rewards for Nagelsmann’s side, who had been in control of the ball and dominated proceedings for most of the 90 minutes. They could have added a third had Wirtz not had an effort blocked near the end, too.
The victory means Germany lead Group A on goal difference ahead of Slovakia, with a winner-takes-all match to come between the two on Monday. Whoever finishes second faces a playoff match to qualify for the World Cup
Home advantage will be with the Germans, with the tie being held at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig. But Francesco Calzona’s men will come into the match high on spirits having secured a dramatic 91st-minute winner on Friday evening.
For Woltemade, he will have aspirations of leading his side to the next summer’s tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Of late he is proving to be of increased importance for Nagelsmann.
Woltemade added a second goal after running onto an incisive pass by defender Ridle Baku
The big forward and his team-mates had struggled to find the breakthrough in the first half
Germany’s victory now sets them up for a winner-takes-all match against Slovakia on Monday
Since earning his first cap for Germany in June, the towering forward has scored three goals in seven games after a barren spell.
His recent hot streak for the national team coincides with that of his form since making a £69million move to St James’s Park. In 14 games across all competitions he has six goals, with a current average Premier League record of one goal every two games.
Woltemade made the move to the North East after an impressive season with German outfit VFB Stuttgart last campaign, where he scored 17 goals in 33 appearances across the Bundesliga and the DFB Pokal, which he won.
