Werder Bremen striker Miroslav Klose scored two goals on Saturday afternoon in Germany's 7:0 drubbing of football minnows Luxembourg. Klose's Werder colleague Torsten Frings was also on target from the penalty spot with a brace each for Lukas Podolski and Oliver Neuville finihing off the tie.
The DFB eleven took to the pitch at a capacity filled (23,000) Freiburg stadium without their influencial captain Michael Ballack but were in front despite his absence after just five minutes. Lukas Podolski powered to the by-line and squared across the face of the goal where Miroslav Klose lunged in to give Germany the early lead. The German's were not about to let up and Klose came agonisingly close again when he headed an inch perfect Tim Borowski cross onto the crossbar (10'). It was the third Werder Bremen man in the starting eleven who gave Jürgen Klinsmann's side their second. Bastian Schweinsteiger was dragged down in the box by Tim Heinz and Torsten Frings, winning his 50th cap, took on the spot kick to make it 2:0 (19').
The home side extended their lead to 3:0 ten minutes before the break when Podolski got on the end of a pass from Miroslav Klose and blasted past Marc Oberweis in the Luxembourg goal (36'). The keeper did bring off a stunning save though five minutes later when he turned away a Tim Borowski rocket for a corner.
It was Borowski again who had the first shot on goal after the break when he drove another distance shot just wide of the mark (56'). Three minutes later it was Miro Klose who was celebrating his 23rd international goal. Last sasons top scorer in the Bundesliga latched on to a quickly taken free-kick from Bastian Schweinsteiger to give Germany their fourth (59').
Neuville on the double in added time
Referee Rene Rogally (Switzerland) had no choice but to point to the spot again when keeper Oberweis brought down Gerald Asamoah in the box and Lukas Podolski took the opportunity to grab his second of the night and make it 5:0 for the World Cup hosts (65'). In added time Oliver Neuville got in on the act, and not just once. The Mönchengladbach striker was quickest to react to a mistake in the Luxembourg defence and lob the keeper to make it 6:0. Seconds later Neuville profitted from a Bernd Schneider pass and struck low to make the final score a satisfactory 7:0 for Germany.