Germany and England seal 2018 World Cup berths
6 Oct 2017 7:00 PM GMT
Paris: Defending champions Germany clinched a place at next year's World Cup in Russia with a 3-1 win in Northern Ireland, while England beat Slovenia 1-0 to secure their berth.
Sebastian Rudy and Sandro Wagner struck brilliant first- half goals in Belfast before Joshua Kimmich added a late third as Joachim Loew's team made it nine wins out of nine in European qualifying Group C on Thursday.
The four-time world champions also maintained their proud unbeaten away record in World Cup qualifiers — a run spanning an incredible 47 matches dating back to 1934.
"We're off to Russia, to tear it up! We want to successfully defend the World Cup title," said Bayern Munich midfielder Rudy following his first international goal.
Northern Ireland, who grabbed a consolation through Josh Magennis, remain on track to claim a spot in next month's play-offs as they attempt to reach the World Cup for the first time since 1986.
Harry Kane continued his stunning goalscoring form with a 94th-minute winner as an unimpressive England overcame Slovenia at Wembley.
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