#daniel-ballard

#daniel-ballard

And...breathe. It was tense. It was difficult. But Germany prevailed in a must-win match away to Northern Ireland, winning 1-0 thanks to Nick Woltemade managing to squeeze the ball over the line with his shoulder. The three points were all that mattered and that it what the 2014 World Cup champions delivered, but this performance will be unlikely to stem worries about the team as a whole.

The 25-year-old was forced off during the first half of Sunderland's 2-0 defeat against Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday. Speaking after the Black Cats' Carabao Cup loss against Huddersfield on Tuesday, their boss Regis Le Bris said while the concern was not "long-term", Ballard does face a spell on the sidelines. "It's not too serious so we expect him to be out for two to three weeks," he told the club's website.