Northern Ireland are sitting top of Group A after a dramatic opening round of World Cup qualifying.
Group favourites Germany were stunned in Bratislava as Slovakia ran out 2-0 winners. David Hancko opened the scoring before Middlesbrough striker David Strelec sealed the victory with a superb finish after 55 minutes.
The result left Julian Nagelsmann under pressure as his side now prepare to host Northern Ireland in Cologne on Sunday.
Michael O’Neill’s men did their part with a vital 3-1 win over Luxembourg. The game began with drama when Reid converted after a penalty incident. Korac slipped and handled the ball, and though Anthony Moris saved Isaac Price’s spot-kick, Reid pounced on the rebound to score his first competitive international goal.
Luxembourg struck back through Daniel Sinani’s clever flick to Dardari, who cut inside and slotted beyond Bailey Peacock-Farrell. Making his first appearance for Northern Ireland in a year, Peacock-Farrell had little chance to stop the equaliser.
The response was swift. Conor Bradley’s cross deflected out to Charles, and the Southampton midfielder’s effort deflected in off the unfortunate Korac to restore the lead.
The night got worse for Korac, who was sent off after a second yellow when he clashed with Reid. It looked harsh, but Northern Ireland capitalised. From the resulting free-kick, Charles launched the ball forward and Devenny smashed home from close range to seal the win.
The Green and White Army now travel to Cologne full of confidence, knowing Germany are wounded and vulnerable.
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