Germany 6-0 Slovakia: Highlights, man of the match, stats as Leroy Sane brace sends dominant Germany to the World Cup

Germany saved their best qualifying performance until last, with the four-time World Cup winners booking their ticket for the 2026 event in spectacular fashion.

Julian Nagelsmann’s men ran riot in Leipzig, scoring four first-half goals before rattling the net two more times after the break to seal a dominant 6-0 win against Slovakia.

Nick Woltemade and Serge Gnabry opened the scoring before Leroy Sane ended his five-match goal drought for the national side with a quick brace.

Ridle Baku scored his seventh international goal after the break, while Assan Ouedraogo capped off the thumping win with his first strike at senior international level.

SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT

Germany kicked off their World Cup qualifying campaign with a hugely disappointing 2-0 defeat away in Slovakia – a result which marked their third straight competitive defeat.

That loss in Bratislava raised serious concerns for Die Mannschaft, who have underperformed on the international stage for almost a decade.

Nagelsmann and his men went on a four-match winning run, but despite the positive results, performances remained questionable – especially the measly 1-0 victory over Northern Ireland.

Following a long qualification slog, Germany have seemingly released the handbrake and produced a dominant display which has defined their reputation throughout many decades of success.

The real question is whether this was an anomaly. Are Germany once again a serious threat on the international scene, or will their period of transition continue into 2026? Next summer's World Cup will give Die Mannschaft an opportunity to provide answers.

Slovakia, who needed to win the match in order to secure automatic qualification, never got out of the blocks and failed to land a glove on their opponents in what proved to be a very disappointing display.

Nevertheless, the Slovaks will be hoping to turn things around when they attempt to qualify for the World Cup via the playoffs.

GERMANY VS. SLOVAKIA HIGHLIGHTS

Nick Woltemade goal vs. Slovakia (18th min, Germany 1-0 Slovakia)

Newcastle United ace Woltemade bags the opening goal in the 18th minute after capitalising on a brilliant cross from Joshua Kimmich.

The forward was able to direct his header into the bottom left corner, beating Martin Dubravka.

Serge Gnabry goal vs. Slovakia (29th min, Germany 2-0 Slovakia)

Serge Gnabry doubles Germany's lead just a few minutes later.

Leon Goretzka sets up his teammate with a clever ball, and Gnabry finished well into the bottom right corner.

Leroy Sane goal vs. Slovakia (36th min, Germany 3-0 Slovakia)

Things get even better for Germany when Leroy Sane scores the first of his two goals in the 36th minute.

Florian Wirtz delivers a superb pass into his teammate, who unleashes a brilliant shot into the bottom left corner.

Leroy Sane goal vs. Slovakia (41st min, Germany 4-0 Slovakia)

The Sane and Wirtz duo work their magic again just five minutes later.

Sane smashes the ball into the roof of the net after receiving a clever lofted pass from the Liverpool midfielder.

Ridle Baku goal vs. Slovakia (67th min, Germany 5-0 Slovakia)

Gnabry adds an assist to his first-half goal after delivering a good pass to Ridle Baku, who beats the goalkeeper with a low shot into the middle of the net.

Assan Ouedraogo goal vs. Slovakia (79th min, Germany 6-0 Slovakia)

Sane adds an assist to his two goals after cleverly laying the ball off to Assan Ouedraogo, who finishes well into the bottom left corner from close range.

MAN OF THE MATCH - FLORIAN WIRTZ

Florian Wirtz has been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons this season following his slow start to life at Liverpool.

Despite this, the German midfielder showed glimpses of his world-class potential after delivering a tremendous individual performance against Slovakia.

The 22-year-old not only picked up two assists but also completed 94% of his 77 passes - over half of which were in the final third.

GERMANY VS. SLOVAKIA MATCH STATS

Possession: Germany 72% - 28% Slovakia

Shots: Germany 22-6 Slovakia

Shots on target: Germany 10-2 Slovakia

Corners: Germany 8-3 Slovakia

Fouls: Germany 11-3 Slovakia

BEST STATS

Germany are off to the World Cup ??

Nick Woltemade scored for his nation for the third consecutive match as Germany beat Slovakia 6-0 pic.twitter.com/62FIocpfgL
— Premier League (@premierleague) November 17, 2025

WHAT NEXT?

Germany capped off their 2025 campaign with a solid win, and they will now head into the new year with full of confidence and optimism.

Games against the Ivory Coast and Finland await Die Mannschaft, before Nagelsmann and his men head to North America for a huge World Cup.

The Germans failed to reach the knockout stage in 2022 and 2018, meaning the pressure to deliver is growing.

For Slovakia, their attention turns to the playoffs. Despite the heavy defeat to Germany, the Slovaks have enjoyed a great year, and they will be hoping for more in 2026.