Germany

With Germany needing just a point from its match against Northern Ireland in Belfast, it was never really a question of if, but when. The answer was less than two minutes into the match. Sebastian Rudy hit a stunning long-range strike less than 80 seconds into the game and a relaxed Germany coasted to a 3-1 win over Northern Ireland to book its spot in next summer’s World Cup on Thursday. 

There’s still no timetable on Borussia Dortmund attacker Marco Reus’s return to action following a ruptured cruciate ligament in last season’s DFB Pokal final, but the German international has revealed the depths of his desperation following the latest injury setback in a seemingly cursed career.

In a world where gambling sites and oil companies litter football kits as jersey sponsors, one German club is going for another vice. SV Oberwürzbach, an amateur soccer team in Germany, has a new shirt sponsor that doesn’t like to wear shirts. Or any clothes at all. The team aligned with adult film star Lena Nitro to be featured on the front of the club uniform. 

The club made the announcement on Facebook by saying, “Welcome to the club of sin!” A couple days later, SV Oberwürzbach won 7-2. Coincidence?

If you’re curious as to why you’re suddenly being inundated with photos of Italian manager Carlo Ancelotti looking quizzical with his eyebrow cocked, it’s because Bayern Munich have parted ways with the coach following their 3-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. 

Bayern Munich defeated Schalke 3-0 on Tuesday with James Rodriguez factoring heavily in his first Bundesliga start for the Bavarians. Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring from the spot, and James put Bayern up 2-0 before halftime with his first goal for the club. James then put the finishing touches on the victory with a fantastic feed for Arturo Vidal in the 75th minute.

Bayern Munich will be without the best goalkeeper in the world until at least January 2018 after Manuel Neuer underwent surgery for a broken foot earlier this week.

Update: @Manuel_Neuer has suffered a hairline metatarsal fracture in his left foot & has had successful surgery.