Slovakia secured a memorable victory against Germany in their opening World Cup qualifying clash in Bratislava.
The breakthrough came just before the interval when David Hancko carried the ball from deep, linked up with David Strelec, and calmly slotted past Oliver Baumann to give the hosts the lead.
After the restart, Strelec produced a moment of individual brilliance, twisting away from Antonio Rüdiger before bending a superb effort into the top corner to double the advantage.
This result marks only the fourth time Germany have fallen in a World Cup qualifier.
Germany fail to spark in attack
Julian Nagelsmann named Liverpool midfielder Florian Wirtz and Newcastle’s recent arrival Nick Woltemade in his starting lineup, but the visitors struggled to threaten going forward.
The defeat leaves Germany under pressure ahead of their home fixture against Northern Ireland on Sunday evening.
Results across Europe
In Group A’s other match, Northern Ireland claimed a 3-1 win away to Luxembourg to start their campaign positively.
Spain enjoyed a comfortable 3-0 triumph over Bulgaria in Group E, with Mikel Oyarzabal, Marc Cucurella and Mikel Merino all on target.
A late strike from Matty Cash rescued Poland a 1-1 draw in the Netherlands, canceling out Denzel Dumfries’ opener in Group G.
Belgium ran riot in Liechtenstein with a 6-0 success in Group J, while Wales picked up a narrow 1-0 victory against Kazakhstan earlier in the day.
