Bundesliga
Jamal Musiala among the goals as Germany qualify for Qatar 2022
Jamal Musiala scored his maiden senior international goal as Hansi Flick’s Germany became the first team to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup thanks to a comfortable 4-0 win against North Macedonia in Skopje.
North Macedonia 0-4 Germany
Goals: 0-1 Havertz (50’), 0-2 Werner (70’), 0-3 Werner (73’), 0-4 Musiala (83')
On a run of four straight wins under Flick, Germany were rarely troubled in Skopje. Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich went desperately close with a header from a corner inside the opening two minutes, but North Macedonia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski was able to push his effort away. Müller flicked a header wide, before Serge Gnabry twice tested Dimitrievski. Werner followed suit soon after, and went closer still on the stroke of half-time with a shot against the foot of the near post.
Germany got the goal their dominance deserved five minutes into the second half. Müller put the kibosh on a North Macedonia break and continued his run. After receiving the ball back from Gnabry, he selflessly squared for Havertz to fire into the unguarded net from six yards. Darko Velkovski almost put a Gnabry cross past his own goalkeeper as Germany turned the screw. Timo Werner netted a quick-fire brace, before substitute Musiala's precision-perfect shot rubber-stamped the four-time world champions’ ticket to Qatar 2022 with two games to spare.
Match stats
- Germany have a perfect record of five games played, five won, 18 goals scored, and just one conceded since Flick succeeded Joachim Löw as coach. He equals his predecessor's record for starting a tenure as Die Mannschaft boss with five wins.
- Müller has registered 40 goals and 39 assists in 108 Germany appearances.
- Manuel Neuer has kept 46 clean sheets in 107 games for Germany.
- Musiala is the second-youngest player to score for Germany, aged 18 years and 227 days. Only Marius Hiller was younger when he scored against Switzerland in 1910 (17 years and 241 days).
- Werner has been on the scoresheet in four of five matches under Flick.
- Germany have still never lost an away game in World Cup qualifying.
Line-ups
North Macedonia: Dimitrievski - Ristovski (c) (Askovski 77'), Musliu, Velkovski, Alioski - Kostadinov (Ristevski 77'), Nikolov (Rakip 58'), Ademi (Spirovski 29') - Churlinov Jahovic (Miovski 58'), Elmas
Unused subs: Iliev, Siskovski, Todoroski, Trajkovski, Atanasov, Zajkov, Serafimov
Out: -
Coach: Blagoja Milevski
Germany: Neuer - Klostermann, Süle, Kehrer, Raum - Kimmich, Goretzka (Wirtz 61') - Gnabry (Hofmann 74'), Müller (Neuhaus 80'), Havertz (Adeyemi 61') - Werner (Musiala 74')
Unused subs: Leno, Ter Stegen, Schlotterbeck, Ginter, Reus, Sane
Out: Rüdiger (back)
Coach: Hansi Flick
As it happened!
0 - 4(0 - 0)
North Macedonia
FINAL
Germany
90'
vs
ADDITIONAL TIME
Two minutes to go...
88'
vs
CHURLINOV!
A great chance for the Stuttgart-owned Schalke midfielder to get one back for North Macedonia after getting in behind the last man, but he fails to even test Manuel Neuer in goal as he blasts over.
83'
vs
ICING ON THE CAKE!
Yet again Germany take advantage of a North Macedonia mistake at the back. Adeyemi intercepts and immediately sets Musiala away. He takes one touch before bending his shot inside the near post for his first senior international goal.
80'
vs
Florian Neuhaus
Thomas Müller
79'
vs
STILL LOOKING GOOD
Romania are still leading Armenia in Bucharest. Perfect news for Germany.
77'
vs
Stefan Askovski
Stefan Ristovski
77'
vs
Kire Ristevski
Tihomir Kostadinov
74'
vs
Jamal Musiala
Timo Werner
74'
vs
Jonas Hofmann
Serge Gnabry
73'
vs
WERNER BRACE!
No nonsense from Werner. The ball comes to him on the left of the box, he takes a touch and curls it inside the far post. Game, set and match.
70'
vs
Stefan Ristovski
70'
vs
TAKE THAT TIMO!
Another break from Germany as they take advantage of an unorganised North Macedonia defence. It's a lovely touch from Müller in an awkward position to knock the ball into the path of Werner, and he absolutely wellies it past Dimitrievski for his 20th international goal - and surely the one that takes Germany to Qatar.
69'
vs
TOUGH FOR WERNER
The former Leipzig and Stuttgart man starts going for a bit of a bicycle kick with his back to goal but realises the ball's not quite there for him and ends up putting a shot harmlessly wide.
61'
vs
WIRTZ ON
On comes the man (boy) of the moment in Wirtz. He's had a hand in at least one goal in every Leverkusen appearance so far this season.
61'
vs
Karim Adeyemi
Kai Havertz
61'
vs
Florian Wirtz
Leon Goretzka
58'
vs
Erdal Rakip
Boban Nikolov
58'
vs
Adis Jahovic
Bojan Miovski
59'
vs
ALMOST A SECOND!
Germany shift up a gear suddenly and play their way through the North Macedonia defence. Gnabry fizzes a low ball into the middle and almost gets an own goal out of it as Velkoski slides in, but luckily for him puts it straight at his goalkeeper.
54'
vs
HAVERTZ SUSPENDED
The Chelsea man hauls back Schalke's Churlinov as he attempts to break and will be suspended for the next game against Liechtenstein in November.
54'
vs
Kai Havertz
52'
vs
STEPPED UP A NOTCH
Germany has 14 attempts on goal in the first half. It took just one in the second to forge ahead in Skopje.
50'
vs
HAVERTZ TAPS IN!
Germany hit North Macedonia at their own game. Müller blocks an attempted long ball, which falls to Gnabry. He lifts his head and plays Müller in behind the out-of-position home defence. The Bayern man races towards goal then unselfishly knocks the ball to his left for Havertz to tap into an empty net for his sixth Germany goal.
46'
vs
NO CHANGES
Back under way as the rain begins to fall again in the North Macedonian capital. Both sides resume unchanged.
0 - 0
Kick-off!
0 - 0
Half-time
45' +2
vs
WERNER OFF THE POST!
The closest Germany have come tonight. Werner shimmies this way and that in the box before getting his effort away. The goalkeeper is stranded as the ball goes towards his near post but it bounces straight back off the frame of the goal.
45'
vs
ADDED TIME
Four minutes of it after the stoppage for Ademi.
43'
vs
WERNER FLICK
Raum curls in a cross around the back that Werner manages to get to at the near post, but his flick lacks any power to trouble the goalkeeper.
41'
vs
GNABRY!
He has a crack from a similar position where he scored on Friday against Romania, but doesn't really connect with this one and drags wide.
37'
vs
ELSEWHERE IN GROUP J
Romania have taken the lead at home to Armenia. That result would mean a win for Germany would see Hansi Flick's men guaranteed a place at the World Cup next year.
29'
vs
WERNER!
This time it's Germany's turn to counter with Gnabry and Werner charging away. The former gets the ball stuck under his feet, but still digs out a ball towards the former Leipzig man racing into the box. A swiped clearance sees the ball reach him and he gets his shot away from 18 yards, but too close to Dimitrievski.
29'
vs
Stefan Spirovski
Arijan Ademi
28'
vs
ADEMI DONE
The midfielder has come back on to try again, but he's gone down and signalled that he needs to go off.
26'
vs
ELMAS DENIED
It was Eljif Elmas who scored the surprise winner when these sides met earlier in the group in Duisburg. He tries to repeat the feat again here but Neuer is down to his left to hold the shot.
25'
vs
GNABRY PARRIED
It's David Raum to take on his left foot but he hits the top of the wall. It falls kindly to Gnabry on the left of the box, though. He doesn't quite catch it well, but enough for Dimitrievski to need to parry behind.
24'
vs
STOPPAGE
It was Ademi who gave away the free-kick on Havertz, but he looks to have come off worse after his ankle gave way. He's been down for treatment for a good minute and is only now hobbling off. A substitute is getting ready, but the hosts are down to 10 for the moment.
22'
vs
GEGENPRESSING
We saw it so often with Hansi Flick's Bayern and now also with his Germany team as they press the North Macedonians hard and high up the pitch to win the ball back in dangerous positions. This press results in a free-kick right of centre 20 yards out.
17'
vs
CROSS OR SHOT?
We saw Leroy Sane score the other week with what he admitted was a cross. His Bayern teammate Serge Gnabry almost does the same here from the left, but Dimitrievski reacts and tips it over the bar.
16'
vs
VELKOSKI HEADS WIDE
Another counter from North Macedonia, this time they get a corner out of it. That's met by the head of centre-back Darko Velkoski but goes wide.
13'
vs
MÜLLER WIDE
Havertz digs out another cross from the left and Müller gets across his man at the front post but can only watch his flicked header drift wide of the far stick.
9'
vs
THE BREAK...
...and there is that counter from the home side, breaking away down the right. There's two men in the box but the ball is too long for both.
7'
vs
CONTROL
No surprise that it's Germany who are making the play and controlling possession. The only danger will be a counter-attack from the North Macedonians.