A makeshift Germany team crushed Liechtenstein 9-0 in a World Cup qualifier on Thursday as Hansi Flick recorded the best ever start for a Germany coach with his sixth win in six games in charge.
2021 World Cup qualification Europe
9-0
Match Events
0' The match is about to start!
8' Red Card! J. Hofer sent off
10' Penalty Goal! Germany 1-0 Liechtenstein (Gundogan)
13' Reus' shot stopped
19' OWN GOAL! Germany 2-0 Liechtenstein ( Kaufmann)
21' GOAL! Germany 3-0 Liechtenstein (Sane)
22' GOAL! Germany 4-0 Liechtenstein (Reus)
34' Sane's header wide out
37' Sane's long shot stopped
38' Gundogan's shot over the bar
48' GOAL! Germany 5-0 Liechtenstein (Sane)
56' Nmecha hits the post
58' Sane's shot stopped
61' Nmecha's shot inches wide
75' GOAL! Germany 6-0 Liechtenstein (Muller)
79' GOAL! Germany 7-0 Liechtenstein (Baku)
85' GOAL! Germany 8-0 Liechtenstein (Muller)
88' OWN GOAL! Germany 9-0 Liechtenstein (Goppel)
With five players sidelined due to defender Niklas Sule's Covid-19 infection, coach Flick had to make sweeping changes to his line-up.
But the already-qualified Germans eased past Liechtenstein, who were down to 10 men after 11 minutes, with two goals each from Thomas Muller and Leroy Sane to top Group J with 24 points, nine ahead of second-placed North Macedonia.
The hosts went ahead with an 11th-minute Ilkay Gundogan penalty after Jens Hofer was sent off for kicking Leon Goretzka with a high challenge in the face.
It got worse for the visitors who conceded three goals in three minutes, starting with Daniel Kaufmann stabbing in for an own goal in the 20th.
Leroy Sane made it 3-0, slotting in from a perfectly timed Goretzka pass and Marco Reus added another.
With Flick's predecessor Joachim Low, who received an official farewell before the game, watching from the stands Germany struck again four minutes after the restart with Sane before late goals from Muller and Ridle Baku.
Muller bagged his second in the 86th before another own goal by Liechtenstein, this time from Max Goeppel, ended their miserable evening.
Germany play Armenia on Sunday.
Line-ups
Germany XI: Neuer, Muller, Reus, Gundogan, Hofmann, Rudiger, Goretzka, Günter, Kehrer, Sane, R. Baku
Subs: Trapp, Leno, Volland, M. Arnold, Draxler, Ginter, Brandt, Tah, Neuhaus, Nmecha, D. Raum
Liechtenstein XI: B. Büchel, D. Kaufmann, N. Hasler, S. Wolfinger, A. Sele, D. Salanović, M. Göppel, A. Malin, Y. Frick, J. Hofer, N. Frommelt
Subs: Martin Büchel, L. Lo Russo, S. Yildiz, D. Brändle, F. Wolfinger, N. Kollmann, L. Meier, R. Spirig, A. Majer, R. Kardesoglu, R. Grünenfelder, N. Frick