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Celebrating DFB players
Photo: Alex Grimm / Getty Images
The German national soccer team celebrated a sovereign home win in the World Cup qualification over Liechtenstein.
In Wolfsburg, the DFB team won 9-0 (4-0).
Before the game, Joachim Löw was officially bid farewell to the applause of the 26,000 spectators and well-deserved former national players from the Löw era. From 2004 to 2021 he was with the DFB, first as co-coach, then from 2006 as head coach of the national team. After losing in the last sixteen at the EM in the summer, Löw had given up his post. His successor Hansi Flick has now won the sixth international game under his leadership.
In Wolfsburg, İlkay Gündoğan gave the German team the lead (18th minute / penalty kick) after Liechtenstein's Jens Hofer saw the red card for a foul foul on Leon Goretzka.
The second hit resulted from an own goal by Daniel Kaufmann (20th);
Leroy Sané (22nd) and Marco Reus (23rd) followed suit - the game was decided well before half-time.
The other goals were scored again by Sané (49th), Thomas Müller (76th, 86th), Ridle Baku (80th) and Maximilian Göppel (90th / own goal).
Even before the game, the German team had been group winners and participants in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Behind the DFB team, North Macedonia is currently in second place in Group J. The North Macedonians won 5-0 in Armenia in the early evening.
Romania can also hope to participate in the World Cup.
The game began with a moment of shock: Liechtenstein's Hofer hit Leon Goretzka in the neck, studs first, a scene that looked worrying and resulted in a lengthy break in treatment, at the end of which the FC Bayern midfielder was able to return to the field - albeit visibly drawn. When trying to clear a high ball, Hofer had paid attention to it and overlooked Goretzka. He saw the red card for his foul, and Gündoğan converted the penalty (11th).
It was also Gündoğan who failed a little later with a header on the crossbar (18th), before three goals were scored within a few moments.
First defender Kaufmann strikes a flat flank from Freiburg left-back Christian Günter into his own goal (20th), then Sané hit after a remarkable combination of Marco Reus and Goretzka from half left flat into the far corner to 3-0 (22nd), at 4-0 Reus shot the ball into the goal after an unsuccessful defensive action by Liechtenstein goalkeeper Benjamin Büchel (23).
Baku scores a dream goal in their own stadium
Against the deeply defending outsider, the DFB team missed a number of other opportunities before the fifth goal was scored, once again Sané was the goalscorer (49th).
At this point, Flick had already helped 22-year-old Lukas Nmecha to make his international debut, the center forward had been substituted on during the break and introduced himself with a goal on the post (56th).
Müller scored after a corner kick (76th) and then again out of the crowd (86th), but the best goal of the evening came from Wolfsburg Baku, who hit the ball from the right corner of the penalty area to the left inner post and so into the goal shot (80th).
Ultimately, Maximilian Göppel underwent the second Liechtenstein own goal to make the final (89th).
The German selection continues on Sunday.
In the final World Cup qualifier, the opponent is then called Armenia.
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