Germany 1-2 North Macedonia: 5 Talking points as Germans suffer a shocking defeat

#3. Timo Werner needs to step up

Timo Werner after missing a golden chance

Germany forward Timo Werner is in a rut and needs to find his mojo back or else he'll lose his spot in the team. Werner came on for Kai Havertz in the 56th minute of the game. The Chelsea striker put on a poor show as he hardly did anything after coming on. To make matters worse, he squandered a pretty big opportunity to give his side the lead.

Werner only had a single attempt throughout the course of play and even that was not on target. He needs to step up big-time if he is to maintain his place in the team going ahead.

Timo Werner lets a big chance go begging 😑 Just 10 minutes remain... #DieMannschaft #GERMKD 1-1
— Germany (@DFB_Team_EN) March 31, 2021

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#2. Die Mannshaft need to be dynamic

The hosts played a pretty boring brand of football last night. And it's not just about the last game, their style of play has been bland for quite some time now. Germany lacks a bit of flair right now.

The hosts looked lost for ideas and their hunger to win the game was second best throughout the night. Germany need to ramp up their speed in transitions and finish clinically in front of goal.

💬 Joachim #Löw: "We're obviously thoroughly disappointed. We looked tired, made mistakes and were slow going forward. Our opponents sat deep and we struggled to find a way to break them down."#DieMannschaft #GERMKD pic.twitter.com/bAtVKOdEuU
— Germany (@DFB_Team_EN) March 31, 2021

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#1. Germany lose a World Cup qualifier after 20 years

Germany players look dejected after conceding a goal

Germany suffered a loss in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers for the first time in 20 years. The last time they lost a qualifier was to England in 2001.

If they do not overturn this from here on, it would put them in a very embarrassing situation as they have never missed out on a World Cup since 1954.

About the author

Samyak is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda, who focuses on writing a variety of listicles. A post-graduate in Finance with over 6 years of total work experience, Samyak became interested in football after watching the 2010 FIFA World Cup and some high-octane El Clasico clashes. His favorite footballer is Cristiano Ronaldo for the forward's mentality, and his favorite managers are Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, and Pep Guardiola for the brand of football their teams showcase.

Samyak only follows top tier and verified fan club social media accounts for sourcing information for his articles. One of his core strengths is crafting crisp and concise articles to avoid any and all potential confusion for readers. These shrewd methods have helped him attain strong readership on his articles, one of them even being read half a million times!

Zinedine Zidane's Panenka penalty in the 2006 final is Samyak’s favorite World Cup moment owing to the Frenchman’s sheer nerves of steel showcased, and thinks Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are ready to usher in a new era post-Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. During his free time, Samyak follows Real Madrid, plays football and reads finance articles.

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Edited by Diptanil