Liverpool’s summer signing Florian Wirtz hit a superb free kick to help Germany defeat Northern Ireland 3-1 in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers on Sunday.
The 22-year-old offensive midfielder scored his ninth goal for Germany, who rebounded from a 2-0 loss in Slovakia the previous week with a comfortable triumph.
Serge Gnabry, a former Arsenal winger, put the hosts ahead in the seventh minute in Cologne, but Isaac Price’s strike leveled the scores 11 minutes before halftime.
Germany responded with two goals in three minutes in the second half, from replacement Nadiem Amiri and Wirtz, giving Julian Nagelsmann’s side their first Group A victory.
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German media were ecstatic with Wirtz’s improvement in the second half against Northern Ireland, after a ‘poor’ performance in the opening 45 minutes, in which he ‘barely received the ball and lacked confidence’.
Florian Wirtz Scores Stunning Free-Kick
German daily SPORT1 gave Wirtz a 3 for his performance against Northern Ireland, the middle score on their 1-to-5 scale, and applauded his development in the second half, when he scored a’spectacular’ free-kick to double the hosts’ lead.
“After a lackluster first half in which he rarely touched the ball and lacked confidence, he improved in the second.
“He had one chance when he ran deep and almost tipped a chip from Kimmich into the net, then scored a spectacular direct free kick to make it 3-1.”
Wirtz earned his 33rd cap for Germany on Sunday night, scoring for the fifth time in his last ten outings with the national team.
The 22-year-old joined Liverpool for £116 million from Bayer Leverkusen this summer and has started all four games in the 2025/26 season under head coach Arne Slot.
Wirtz is Liverpool’s second-most expensive signing ever, with Alexander Isak’s £125 million deal on deadline day surpassing the Germany international’s arrival at Anfield.
Isak was left on the bench in Sweden’s 2-2 draw with Slovenia last week and has yet to appear for either club or country this season.
The 25-year-old was away from Newcastle’s pre-season training during his transfer saga and did not appear for the Magpies in 2025/26 before leaving.
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