Liverpool’s £116million signing Florian Wirtz silenced his critics with a spectacular free-kick for Germany against Northern Ireland. After scoring an impressive goal to seal a 3-1 victory, Wirtz gestured towards his ear in celebration, in what appeared to be a thinly veiled dig at his critics.
The midfielder had been labelled ‘almost invisible’ following his nation’s shocking World Cup qualifying loss to Slovakia last week. This marked their first away defeat in 52 World Cup qualifying matches, piling immense pressure on the team to perform in their next match. The win over Northern Ireland wasn’t without its challenges, as German fans made their dissatisfaction known when the scores were level on Sunday evening. Serge Gnabry gave Julian Nagelsmann’s team an early lead just seven minutes into the game, but the visitors equalised through West Brom’s Isaac Price, leading to Germany being booed off at half-time.
Nadiem Amiri, Mainz’s attacking midfielder, put the home side back in the lead after 69 minutes. Wirtz then sealed the deal with his remarkable strike just three minutes later, effectively ending any hopes of a comeback from Northern Ireland.
The 22-year-old will be hoping his performance has silenced some of his critics, as he cupped his ear with one finger before being swarmed by his teammates. The ex-Bayer Leverkusen star was candid in admitting the loss to Slovakia was a catastrophe, but he expressed satisfaction with his squad’s reaction in their most recent qualifier.
He said: “We all know the last game was a disaster. We wanted to do better today and show more energy. In my opinion we did that today. We started the game well and it was a good performance that we can be happy with and build on.”
Wirtz’s celebration and post-match comments suggests he will not let criticism get him down. If anything, his response after scoring appeared to be pre-meditated, suggesting the louder the criticism, the more motivated he will be.
Die Mannschaft manager Nagelsmann faced severe criticism ahead of the victory over Northern Ireland. The 38-year-old showed understanding for the response his team received, insisting his side still have a lot more to do to get back to their best.
The ex-Bayern Munich manager said: “We have to show understanding for the fans. A ticket like that costs money, and they want to see a different kind of football. I can understand that.
“Nevertheless, I can also say that booes like that don’t really help you move forward. I think if we do everything together, things usually work much better. But of course, I still understand if someone is unhappy. I almost booed [the team] in the dressing room on Thursday. That’s just how it is sometimes.”
Germany currently sit third in Group A of World Cup qualifying following two fixtures. They find themselves three points adrift of Slovakia and presently trail Northern Ireland despite being level on both points and goal difference.
