Soccer-Germany score twice in three minutes to beat Northern Ireland 3-1

Soccer Football - World Cup - UEFA Qualifiers - Group A - Germany v Northern Ireland - RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne, Germany - September 7, 2025 Germany's Florian Wirtz scores their third goal from a free kick past Northern Ireland's Bailey Peacock-Farrell REUTERS/Thilo Schmuelgen

COLOGNE, Germany (Reuters) - Four-time world champions Germany struggled for more than an hour againstNorthern Ireland before scoring twice in three minutes in the second half to earn a 3-1 victory in their 2026 World Cup qualifier on Sunday.

With the score level at 1-1, a tap-in by substitute Nadiem Amiri in the 69th minute and a free kick from Florian Wirtz made sure of Germany's first win in Group A.