Thailand vs. Germany: Score, Twitter Reaction from 2015 Women's Soccer World Cup

Tournament favourites Germany cruised to an easy 4-0 win over Thailand in their final group-stage match of the 2015 Women's World Cup, grabbing the top spot in Group B and qualifying for the knockout stages in the process.

Melanie Leupolz, Lena Petermann (two) and Sara Daebritz scored the goals for Die Nationalelf, who scored an incredible 15 goals during the group stage and conceded just one. Norway will move to the next round along with Germany, while Thailand will have to wait for the other groups to conclude to find out whether they finish among the top third-placed teams.

ESPN's Paul Carr noted just how impressive Germany's run has been thus far:  

Germany were confident of winning this match and qualifying for the knockout stages, and as shared by DW Sports, the team that started this match looked quite different from the one that played out a goalless draw against Norway:

As expected, the European giants started out at a furious pace, and within seconds, Dzsenifer Marozsan had fired in the first dangerous cross of the match. The Thai side had no idea what hit them and were completely overrun in the opening stages.

Bet365 reminded everyone this team beat Ivory Coast 10-0 in their first match and that it expected a similar result:

Waraporn Boonsing did well to stop two shots in the first minutes of the match, but her defence had to bail her out when a corner nearly crossed the goal line. The German pressure was relentless, but similar to the match against Norway, their efficiency in front of goal was lacking.

Their advantage in possession was clear, and for the bulk of the first half, not a single Thai player ventured out of her own half. But Marozsan and Melanie Behringer missed excellent chances, and Thailand's defence did a fantastic job limiting space once the Germans came near the box.

Ann Odong of the Women's Game hoped the right people were watching this match, as Thailand fought for every blade of grass on the pitch:

It took 24 minutes for Die Nationalelf to find the breakthrough, as Leupolz jumped highest and headed the ball into goal. The Guardian's Andrew Jerell Jones noted Leupolz is quickly gaining ground on Germany's all-time scorer's list:

But if fans believed that first goal would open the floodgates, they were in for a surprise. Thailand appeared almost relieved to have finally conceded, as they started playing with less nerves while maintaining their defensive solidity.

There was a scary moment when Boonsing collided with one of her defenders and appeared to be in some pain, as Thailand's goalkeeper had put together a great performance during the first 30 minutes. After a few minutes, she indicated she would be fine to continue, and the match went on.

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Marozsan found herself on the end of a cross from Behringer, but she directed her header straight at Boonsing, who did well to make sure there wouldn't be a rebound. She had to repeat her heroics minutes later, but once again, she was able to deny Marozsan from close range.

At half-time, the Washington Post's Steven Goff was impressed by both Thailand and Ivory Coast, who were trailing two European powerhouses by just a single goal:

Fans expecting the one-sided afair they were promised were a little disappointed. So was Sports Illustrated's Courtney Nguyen:

The second half started in similar fashion as the first, but the introduction of Lena Petermann would change that before long. The Germans switched tactics in an attempt to take advantage of their massive edge in size, and with two goals in three minutes, the switch paid off.

Both times Petermann was able to muscle the ball home after crosses, and Yahoo Sports' Graham Watson thought her energy was exactly what the side needed:

With those two goals, Germany were all but guaranteed to finish in the top spot in Group B, and the European champions took their foot off the gas for a couple of minutes, allowing Thailand to catch their breath.

Leupolz pulled the strings in midfield, and Thailand simply didn't have the chance to advance the ball into dangerous positions. 

Daebritz added a fourth goal in the 73rd minute, pouncing on a loose ball and easily converting from close range. The New York Times' Cristian Nyari was sure the side had wrapped up the top spot in Group B:

The Germans had several more chances to widen the gap in the final 15 minutes, but Thailand stood firm and had a bit of luck to avoid embarrassment.

With the result, Germany finish Group B in first place, and they'll play the third-placed team from Group A, C or D in the next round. Their opponents will be based on a predetermined draw, a table of which you can find by clicking here. 

Lena Goesling told the team's official Twitter account she's anxious to make a deep run in the tournament:

On paper, the team shouldn't have any problems progressing to the quarter-finals, although their lack of creativity breaking down the Thailand defence is cause for concern. Head coach Silvia Neid showed excellent awareness by shifting tactics in the second half, but the midfielders have to start finding a way to create more open spaces near the box.

If they can't, the likes of Japan, Brazil and the USA will fancy their chances against the tournament favourites.   

Meanwhile, Thailand finish the group stage with three points, and they could still qualify for the knockout stages if the results from the other matches go their way. Of the six teams who will finish the group stage in third place, the top four will move to the next round. At the time of writing, Sweden and Spain sat behind them in the standings.