Three days after losing 2-0 to Poland, Germany came seconds short of returning to their winning ways as they were held to a last-gasp 1-1 draw by Ireland in Gelsenkirchen on Tuesday. Borussia Dortmund’s Mats Hummels, Erik Durm and Matthias Ginter all featured in the Euro 2016 qualifier.

Durm had Germany’s best chance of the first half but was denied by the crossbar with a 40-yard shot, while Ginter was substituted for tactical reasons at half-time when Germany coach Löw switched to a 4-1-4-1.

Germany were denied a clear penalty in the second half (foul on Götze) but still managed to take the lead through a Kroos long-range effort (71 mins). In the 85th minute, Durm made a last-ditch block to deny Ireland a certain goal before the visitors grabbed the equaliser in the fourth minute of stoppage time…