Germany vs. Czech Republic: Score and Reaction for World Cup 2018 Qualifying
Germany cruised to a 3-0 win over the Czech Republic in their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Saturday, with Thomas Muller bagging a brace.
Muller gave the hosts a first-half lead with an easy tap-in, and Toni Kroos doubled their advantage immediately after the half-time break. Muller added a second goal midway through the second half, all but ending the contest.
As Germany's official Twitter account shared, Jerome Boateng returned to the starting XI, with Benedikt Howedes moving to the bench:
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Germany entered the match with a superb record in qualifiers at home, and predictably, they went right at the visitors from the opening kick-off. Sami Khedira put the defence to work after just three minutes, but his effort was blocked.
Mario Gotze and Mesut Ozil almost unlocked the Czech defence with a clever passing move, and then Kroos couldn't beat the wall with a hard free-kick. The Real Madrid man put goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik to work with a shot from 25 yards out shortly after, but his strike barely troubled the stopper.
Mats Hummels made a great tackle on Matej Vydra to stop a Czech attack, and Die Mannschaft broke quickly with numbers, with Ozil eventually finding Muller, who easily converted from close range.
Bleacher Report UK couldn't help themselves:
The Czech Republic saw more of the ball after the early goal, but Germany's counters remained dangerous, with Gotze and Julian Draxler causing all kinds of problems every time they shifted gears.
The visitors came close to an equaliser after 22 minutes, however, as Borek Dockal fired an excellent cross into the box that somehow missed everyone and ended up going through Vydra's legs.
Muller almost doubled his tally after the Czech defence lost sight of him on a long ball, but Vaclik was there to prevent further damage. The long pass gave the defenders fits, and Gotze also had a good opportunity to score, only to be flagged down wrongly for offside.
He almost dinked a ball over Vaclik shortly after following a great pass from Muller. As DW Sports noted, Die Mannschaft were clearly the better team:
But their one-goal lead was far from safe, and the Czechs had their chances as well. Khedira had a much-needed second goal called back for offside, and Draxler and Muller both went close, with the former failing to beat a wall of defenders and the latter curling a shot just over the bar.
Die Mannschaft came out of the dressing room with renewed energy and doubled their lead early in the second half. Joshua Kimmich beautifully picked out Kroos, and the Real Madrid man slotted a first-time shot past Vaclik.
Via AS English, it wasn't the first time he scored in that fashion:
David Pavelka highlighted the visitors' frustrations with a dreadful lunge on Kroos, for which he saw a yellow card. The Czech Republic didn't play poorly, but Germany were simply a class apart.
Draxler and Ozil combined on a quick break, with the latter's looping shot landing on the roof of the goal, and Pavelka only just managed to clear the ball in front of Muller's waiting feet.
Dockal tested Manuel Neuer's reflexes on one of the rare occasions the visitors moved into the German half, but just one minute later, Jonas Hector found Muller with a sharp cross, with the Bayern Munich man making it 3-0.
The hosts took their foot off the gas following the third goal, and both teams made several substitutions. Howedes entered the pitch and could have added a fourth goal, putting his shot wide after a pass from Ilkay Gundogan.
Muller also went close once more, and Vaclik produced a stunning save to deny Kimmich. Howedes fired the last chance of the match off Vaclik's foot, before the final whistle sounded.
Per Jonathan Harding of DW Sports, Hummels said Germany had no idea how the Czech Republic would play them:
Germany's next match will be at home against Northern Ireland on Tuesday, while the Czechs host Azerbaijan on the same day.
