Newcastle United’s new striker Nick Woltemade struggled to impress during Germany’s 3-1 win over Northern Ireland on Sunday, with home supporters reportedly booing the forward during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers clash.
Germany went into the game in Cologne under pressure, having suffered a shock 2-0 defeat in Slovakia on Thursday, but managed to impress early on, with Serge Gnabry putting the hosts ahead in the seventh minute.
While Isaac Price’s volley 11 minutes before half-time pegged back Julian Nagelsmann’s side, Germany netted twice in the space of three minutes in the second half, with substitute Nadiem Amiri and Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz on target.
As Germany dominated opponents with 79.5% possession and six shots on target compared to Northern Ireland’s just one, Woltemade struggled to stand out during his fourth appearance for Die Mannschaft, with national press labelling his performance as ‘disappointing’.
Nick Woltemade Booed by Germany Fans
Nick Woltemade
According to SPORT1, Woltemade was booed by home supporters during Germany’s 3-1 win on Sunday, following his second consecutive ‘disappointing’ display on international duty.
The German newspaper awarded the Newcastle frontman a 4 for his performance against Northern Ireland – the second-lowest score on their 1-to-5 scale – despite Woltemade assisting Gnabry’s opener in the first half:
“Hard-working at the start, winning the challenge before the 1-0 goal and passing the ball to goal-scorer Gnabry.
“He then had two more chances when he received the ball in the penalty area, but took too long to finish. He then dived and barely touched the ball.
“Overall, two disappointing international matches and still not in form, drawing boos when he was substituted in the 61st minute.”
Woltemade won his fourth senior cap for Germany on Sunday, having made his debut in the 2-1 loss to Portugal during the Nations League semi-finals in June.
The 23-year-old struggled against the Northern Irish defenders, winning just two of his six duels, completing four accurate passes and making just 16 touches, with no shots on goal during his 61 minutes on the field.
Woltemade joined Newcastle from Stuttgart on the penultimate day of the summer transfer window in a club-record deal reportedly worth up to £69m.
His arrival eclipsed the £63m Newcastle paid to make Alexander Isak the club’s previous most expensive signing three years ago, with the 23-year-old joining as a replacement for the Sweden international, who departed to Liverpool on deadline day.
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