Published on, Sept. 6 -- September 6, 2025 12:53 AM

Germany went down to a shock 2-0 defeat in Slovakia in their opening World Cup qualifier on Thursday, while Spain kicked off their bid to reach next year's finals with a comfortable 3-0 victory in Bulgaria.

Atletico Madrid's David Hancko burst untracked into the penalty box to fire Slovakia into the lead just before half-time against Germany in Bratislava.

David Strelec, who has just signed for Middlesbrough in the English Championship, then made it two with a brilliant strike high into the top corner 10 minutes into the second half. The result gives Slovakia a dream start in Group A as they attempt to qualify for a first World Cup since 2010. Germany, meanwhile, find themselves immed...