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Captain Joshua Kimmich scored twice in a comfortable 4-0 win over 10-man Luxembourg as Germany moved top of their World Cup qualifying group after a stuttering start to their campaign.
Defeat to Slovakia last month had put some pressure on head coach Julian Nagelsmann, who had won just 13 of his previous 25 matches in charge.
However, they never looked like coming close to an upset against a team ranked 96th in the world — whom they had not played in a competitive match since 1991 — who played 70 minutes at a numerical disadvantage after Dirk Carlson was dismissed for handball.
The defender stuck out an arm to prevent Serge Gnabry flicking the ball past him and, already leading from left-back David Raum‘s 12th-minute free-kick which he bent around the wall and inside the near post, Kimmich converted the penalty.
From there the hosts, who had kicked off third in Group A, controlled the game and cruised to victory.
Newcastle striker Nick Woltemade curled a left-footed drive wide of the post, Raum volleyed into the side-netting, Jonathan Tah saw his close-range header blocked and Kimmich was denied by goalkeeper Anthony Moris before half-time.
DANIEL ROLAND/AFP via Getty Images
But it took just three minutes of the second half for Germany to extend their lead when Gnabry benefited from a fortuitous rebound off Eric Veiga, trying to cut out Karim Adeyemi‘s through-ball, and fired home an angled shot.
When Luxembourg made a mess of trying to clear a 50th-minute corner Kimmich had no difficulty firing home from three yards.
Liverpool playmaker Florian Wirtz hit the outside of a post with a free-kick and also poked wide Ridle Baku‘s clever flick, two of 29 shots the hosts had in a one-sided affair.
