"Everyone expects of us that we'll beat every opponent 5-0, 6-0 but that's no longer possible,"
"The times have simply changed. Everyone's good, everyone can hold their own. For us it's just important to win. We need win after win."
"The qualifying format -- a four-team group where only the winner qualifies automatically -- means Germany must win each of their remaining games unless Slovakia slips up, and get ahead of Slovakia on goal difference too."
Germany faces a precarious World Cup qualifying position after a shock 2-0 loss to Slovakia, needing a perfect record to secure automatic qualification. The team must win upcoming matches against Luxembourg and Northern Ireland and overcome Slovakia on goal difference unless Slovakia falters. The group format awards only the winner an automatic spot, with second place entering a playoff bracket. Historically, Germany rarely misses World Cups and had not previously lost an away qualifying match until the Slovakia result. Recent World Cups saw group-stage exits in 2018 and 2022, exposing issues with team cohesion and motivation.
Read at ESPN.com
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