Germany top Group A after 4-0 win over Luxembourg

Germany moved to the top of World Cup qualifying Group A after a 4-0 win over Luxembourg on Friday at the PreZero Arena in Sinsheim, with captain Joshua Kimmich scoring twice as the hosts produced a dominant performance that underlined their recovery from an earlier defeat. The victory leaves Germany level on six points with Northern Ireland and Slovakia but ahead on goal difference, while Luxembourg remain without a point.

The scoring began in the 12th minute when David Raum bent a free kick around the wall and into the near corner. Less than 10 minutes later Luxembourg were reduced to 10 men when Dirk Carlson was sent off for handling in the box as he blocked Serge Gnabry’s run, and Kimmich converted the resulting penalty. Gnabry added a third early in the second half, and Kimmich tapped in from close range soon after to complete the rout.

Kimmich marked the game with his second strike and made his 104th appearance for Germany, overtaking Franz Beckenbauer’s total of 103 caps. Germany finished the match with 31 attempts and generated 3.89 expected goals compared with Luxembourg’s 0.03, the visitors managing just a single attempt, according to match statistics.