Germany beat Kazakhstan 4-1, close in on World Cup qualification

After Friday nights 3-0 win against Kazakhstan away in Astana, Germany scored a 4-1 win at home in Nuremberg against the same opponent in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers yesterday to pick-up maximum six points from the March matches to take a giant step towards World Cup qualification.

Germany coach Joachim Löw had to make some adjustments due to injuries to defender Benedikt Höwedes and teenager Julian Draxler plus a yellow card suspension of Bastian Schweinsteiger with Jérôme Boateng, Ilkay Gündogan and Marco Reus coming into the starting eleven.

Germany were in control from the start but their finishing at the start wasn't upto the mark or a Kazakh was able to block the attempts. Things changed in the 23rd minute as Marco Reus gave Germany the lead and in four minute intervals his Borussia Dortmund team mates Mario Götze and Ilkay Gündogan made it 3-0 for Germany with Kazakhstan staring at a heavy defeat. The central Asians were able to keep the score at 0-3 at the break.

Only seconds into the second half the German defence made a blunder which forced goalkeeper Manuel Neuer into risky ball which enabled Heinrich Schmidtgal to score into an empty net. Suddenly Germany lost their game and presence, and they again needed 15 to 20 minutes like in the first session to get their game together. Thereafter it was once more one-way traffic though the woodwork and the Kazakhs were always in the way.

In the end a late minute goal from Marco Reus sealed the match in Germany's favour, who won 4-1 in the end.

MATCH STATS

Germany 4-1 (3-0) Kazakhstan - Goals: 1-0,4-1 Marco Reus (23',90'), 2-0 Mario Götze (27'), 3-0 Ilkay Gündogan (31'), 3-1 Heinrich Schmidtgal (46')

Germany
Manuel Neuer - Philip Lahm, Per Mertesacker, Jérôme Boateng, Marcel Schmelzer - Sami Khedira, Ilkay Gündogan - Thomas Müller, Mesut Özil, Marco Reus (90' Marcell Jansen) - Mario Götze

Kazakhstan
Sidelnikov - Gorman, Dmitrenko, Mukhtarov, Kirov - Nurdauletov (46' Dzholchiev) - Konysbaev (78' Shomko), Korobkin, Engel, Schmidtgal - Ostapenko (64' Kukeyev)

Referee
Halis Özkahya (Turkey)

Germany makes squad changes ahead of Kazakhstan qualifiers

After Friday nights 3-0 win against Kazakhstan away in Astana, Germany once more meet the same opponent tomorrow in Nuremberg in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier. Another win will take Germany even closer to qualification.

Germany coach Joachim Löw has had to make some adjustments due to a injury to teenager Julian Draxler and a yellow card suspension of Bastian Schweinsteiger follow earlier injuries to Holger Badstuber, Mats Hummels, Lars Bender, Sven Bender, Toni Kroos and Miroslav Klose.

While a recovered Sven Bender has joined the squad, Marcell Jansen (Hamburger SV) and Patrick Herrmann (Borussia Mönchengladbach) have been called-up as late replacements.


GERMANY

Goalkeepers
René Adler (Hamburger SV), Manuel Neuer (FC Bayern München), Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover 96)

Defenders
Jérôme Boateng (FC Bayern München), Benedikt Höwedes (FC Schalke 04), Philip Lahm (FC Bayern München), Per Mertesacker (FC Arsenal), Marcel Schmelzer (Borussia Dortmund), Heiko Westermann (Hamburger SV)

Midfielders
Sven Bender (Borussia Dortmund), Mario Götze (Borussia Dortmund), Ilkay Gündogan (Borussia Dortmund), Patrick Herrmann (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Marcell Jansen (Hamburger SV), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid), Thomas Müller (FC Bayern München), Mesut Özil (Real Madrid), Lukas Podolski (FC Arsenal), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund), André Schürrle (Bayer 04 Leverkusen)

Forwards
Mario Gomez (FC Bayern München)

Joachim Löw names Germany squad for Kazakhstan qualifiers

Germany coach Joachim Löw has named his 20 players squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan away in Astana on Friday (March 22) and at home in Nuremberg on Tuesday (March 26).

Due to injuries Holger Badstuber, Mats Hummels, Lars Bender, Sven Bender, Toni Kroos and Miroslav Klose will be missing the matches, while inform striker Stefan Kiessling was not called-up as some expected.

Joachim Loew had a number of late injuries for the squad but he so far has not called-up any replacements.


GERMANY

Goalkeepers
René Adler (Hamburger SV), Manuel Neuer (FC Bayern München), Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover 96)

Defenders
Jérôme Boateng (FC Bayern München), Benedikt Höwedes (FC Schalke 04), Philip Lahm (FC Bayern München), Per Mertesacker (FC Arsenal), Marcel Schmelzer (Borussia Dortmund), Heiko Westermann (Hamburger SV)

Midfielders
Julian Draxler (FC Schalke 04), Mario Götze (Borussia Dortmund), Ilkay Gündogan (Borussia Dortmund), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid), Thomas Müller (FC Bayern München), Mesut Özil (Real Madrid), Lukas Podolski (FC Arsenal), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund), André Schürrle (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (FC Bayern München)

Forwards
Mario Gomez (FC Bayern München)

Germany names squad for qualifier & friendly

German national team coach Joachim Loew has called on a squad of 23 players to face Kazakhstan in a 2012 European Championship qualifier on March 26 in Kaiserslautern and the friendly against 2011 AFC Asian Cup runners-up Australia on March 29 in Moenchengladbach.

These two matches come days after Joachim Loew extended his contract until the end of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

Loew has made some changes to his squad recalling goalkeeper Tim Wiese, midfielders André Schuerrle and Toni Kroos plus striker Mario Gomez into the team; while defender Heiko Westermann and midfielder Kevin Großkreutz didn't find a place in the squad. Dortmund's Sven Bender is the only uncapped player.


GERMANY

Goalkeepers
Manuel Neuer (FC Schalke 04), Rene Adler (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Tim Wiese (SV Werder Bremen)

Defenders
Arne Friedrich (VfL Wolfsburg), Dennis Aogo (Hamburger SV), Holger Badstuber (FC Bayern Munich), Philipp Lahm (FC Bayern Munich), Jerome Boateng (Manchester City), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Per Mertesacker (SV Werder Bremen), Marcel Schmelzer (Borussia Dortmund)

Midfielders
Mario Goetze (Borussia Dortmund), Sven Bender (Borussia Dortmund), Mesut Oezil (Real Madrid), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid), Bastian Schweinsteiger (FC Bayern Munich), Christian Traesch (VfB Stuttgart), Toni Kroos (FC Bayern Munich), André Schuerrle (FSV Mainz 05), Lukas Podolski (1.FC Cologne)

Forwards
Mario Gomez (FC Bayern Munich), Miroslav Klose (FC Bayern Munich), Thomas Mueller (FC Bayern Munich)

Officials
Joachim Loew (Coach), Hansi Flick (Assistant Coach), Andreas Koepke (Goalkeeping Coach), Oliver Bierhoff (Manager)

Euro2012 Qualifiers: Germany's fight against time

2012 European Championship qualifiers Group A leaders Germany tonight face Kazakhstan on the artificial pitch at the Astana Arena in the Kazakh capital, but more then their opponent the German team will be fighting against the long flight and time shift. The flight from Germany took them five hours and the time difference between Kazakhstan and Germany happens to be four hours.

Time is seen has the biggest problem for the contingent, so the German team doctor Dr. Tim Meyer has developed a system in which the players should feel minimal effects of the time different, meaning jet lag. The German players have been told to keep their watches on German time, besides training, eating and sleeping also as per the time in their home country. With the match tonight kicking off at 23.00 h local time (19.00 CET) it means that the body rhythm doesn't have to change. And the plan is only working as the overall trip is taking a little over 48 hours. If it had been of longer duration, then the body would have to adjust to the local time.

On the field coach Joachim Loew has come to Astana with a squad of only 18 players amongst them three goalkeepers. Jerome Boateng had to drop out at the last moment due to an upset stomach, while leaves Loew with only 15 field players. Star Mesut Özil is not 100% fit, but trained last night in Astana and the coach will decide if he will field him before the match. If Özil cannot start then Marko Marin could be the first alternative, but otherwise the team which beat Turkey on Friday night is set to start again.

For Kazakhstan it is one of the biggest matches since joining UEFA from the AFC in 2002. And not for the country but also for their German coach Bernd Storck, a former Borussia Dortmund player, it is a big match. But The Kazakhs are realistic against the mighty Germans, a reasonable loss would be acceptable.