German media rate 'lucky' Nick Woltemade as Newcastle United star scores first Germany goal
Newcastle United striker Nick Woltemade scored his first goal for Germany in their 1-0 win over Northern Ireland.
Nick Woltemade is off the mark for Germany after scoring the only goal of the game in Monday’s 1-0 win in Northern Ireland.
Woltemade has scored four goals in five starts for Newcastle United since joining for a club-record £69million from Stuttgart but hadn’t yet scored for his country in five appearances.
But it proved to be sixth time lucky for the 23-year-old after he directed David Raum’s corner past goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell.
The victory ensured the Germans remained top of their World Cup qualifier group, level on points with second-place Slovakia and three points above third-place Northern Ireland ahead of the final two games against Luxembourg and Slovakia next month.
German media rate Nick Woltemade’s performance v Northern Ireland
Following the game, various German media outlets rated Woltemade’s performance, with many left saying the same thing.
Frankfurter Rundschau gave Woltemade a 3/5, saying “National coach Julian Nagelsmann had recently called for patience. Woltemade repaid this trust with his first goal in a Germany jersey (31').
“He worked hard against Northern Ireland's edgy central defense. Woltemade's goal ultimately made the difference. Grade: 3”.
Meanwhile, Bullinews suggested Woltemade was lucky to score after the ball went into the net off his back, but still gave him a respectable 6/10.
They wrote: “Was in the right place at the right time to score the winning goal for Germany. Some might call it more luck than skill as the ball bounced off his back, but Woltemade won’t mind.
“He wasn’t as involved in the game as he would have liked, though that wasn’t entirely his fault, and he battled hard against the Northern Ireland centre-backs.
Nick Woltemade beginning to silence his German critics
Woltemade has made a strong start to life at Newcastle, despite being the subject of bitter comments from high-profile figures linked with Bayern Munich, whom the Magpies beat to the striker’s signature.
German football legend Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who serves on the board at Bayern, recently branded United as “idiots” for paying the fee, which sparked a fiery response from Eddie Howe.
Howe said: “I always say with these types of things, it's irrelevant really, the market dictates him to transfer fees, not necessarily any one club.
“We're very pleased to have Nick with us. I think he's started very strongly, it must have been a difficult period for him because he's thrust straight into action, no training time with us really of any note, and I think he's done really, really well.
“We're really pleased to have him with us, the transfer fee for me is absolutely irrelevant.”
Asked if Woltemade had been affected by talk of his price tag, Howe replied: “He’s not that type of character. I don’t think he necessarily overthinks too much, which is a really big strength. Whatever we have paid for him is irrelevant. What he is going to be judged on is how he performs in the team and what he gives to the club going forward.
“I would urge any footballer to try and dust that off, but it’s easier said than done. I’ve seen players myself be weighed down by either the fee or the expectation but he’s very relaxed. He looks like he’s enjoying his football, enjoying being here, and ultimately that’s key.”
More goals in a Germany shirt will certainly go a long way to silencing his critics.