Nick Woltemade scored a brace to send a sluggish Germany past Luxembourg 2-0 on Friday and within touching distance of direct World Cup qualification. Germany struggled against their underdog hosts — ranked 97th in the world — but victory kept them on track to qualify for next year’s tournament in North America. 

The four-time World Cup winners are level on points in Group A with second-placed Slovakia, who beat Northern Ireland 1-0 at home, but have a better goal difference with one match left to play. The top two face off in Leipzig on Monday with Germany guaranteed direct qualification if they avoid defeat.  Before Friday’s match, Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann backed Woltemade to make a difference in Luxembourg, and the big Newcastle striker did exactly that.