"There are two games remaining in qualifying and Northern Ireland's World Cup dream is still alive. Any realistic hops of automatic qualification were ended by Germany in Belfast last month as Slovakia moved into second place in Group A with a win over Luxembourg. A trip to Slovakia and a final home game with Luxembourg bring the campaign to a close for Michael O'Neill's side, and second place is up for grabs."
"Northern Ireland started their World Cup bid with a 3-1 win in Luxembourg. Jamie Reid's early opener was cancelled out by Aiman Dardari, but goals from Shea Charles and Justin Devenny gave Northern Ireland the win. However, Group A was blown wide open when Slovakia defeated Germany 2-0 in Bratislava. Many had tipped the Germans to top the group and qualify automatically with ease, but Julian Nagelsmann's side ended the opening round of fixtures bottom of the pile."
Northern Ireland have two qualifying matches remaining and can still finish second in Group A. Germany's victory in Belfast curtailed realistic hopes of automatic qualification while Slovakia moved into second after beating Luxembourg. Northern Ireland began with a 3-1 win in Luxembourg and later produced a spirited performance in Frankfurt before Germany recovered. A 2-0 home win over Slovakia, including an own goal and a late Trai Hume lob, kept second-place hopes alive. Germany followed with a 4-0 win over Luxembourg and a 1-0 win in Belfast. A play-off berth remains possible via Northern Ireland's Nations League group win.
Read at www.bbc.com
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