Easy win

In Germany's second qualifying match for the Euro 2012, the national team gave opponents Azerbaijan a thorough drubbing, taking the game 6-1 in Cologne on Tuesday evening.

The match-up against Azerbaijan, ranked 105th in the world, was an easy win for the Germans, in contrast to last Friday's narrow 1-0 victory over Belgium. The win gives coach Joachim Loew's side six points, and Germany now lead Group A on goal difference.

Substitute Heiko Westermann scored Germany's first goal in the 28th minute, with Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose adding to that count shortly before the half.

Azerbaijan were able to knock one in shortly after the half, but an own goal by Rashad Sadygou and two more by Klose and Holger Badstuber secured the win for Germany.

Klose's two goals brought the striker's international goal count to 55, making him Germany's joint second-highest goal scorer of all time, 12 behind the all-time record scorer Gerd Mueller.

'A different level'

"The team produced some more top football and some of the combinations worked very well," said Loew, who will coach the team through to the Euro 2012 finals in the Ukraine and Poland.

"We have been working on things since even before the World Cup. You can sense that things are becoming automatic now," he added.

A disappointed Bertie Vogts, Azerbaijan's coach and formerly the German national coach, said the end result was acceptable. "The result is OK, but we gave away some stupid late goals," he said. "Germany play at a different level to us."

Germany next face Turkey in Berlin on October 8, in what could prove a difficult match. Turkey also have a 100 percent record after two games, beating Belgium 3-2 in Istanbul.

Author: Martin Kuebler (AFP/dpa/Reuters)
Editor: Sarah Harman