Serge Gnabry scored two first-half goals as Hansi Flick’s Germany thrashed Armenia 6-0 to go top of 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group J.

Germany 6-0 Armenia
Goals: 1-0 Gnabry (6'), 2-0 Gnabry (15') 3-0 Reus (35') 4-0 Werner (45') 5-0 Hofmann (53'), 6-0 Adeyemi (90'+1)

An early warning shot from former Borussia Dortmund midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan was as good as it got for Armenia in a one-sided encounter in Stuttgart. Thilo Kehrer headed a Joshua Kimmich corner against the angle of post and bar as Germany assumed total control, before Gnabry collected a smart pass from Leon Goretzka to fire in the opening goal. After Goretzka shot narrowly over, Gnabry doubled his tally following a lovely piece of play involving Leroy Sane and Marco Reus. Sane whipped an effort against the woodwork, before Gnabry and Timo Werner combined for Reus to add a third. Werner prodded in on the stroke of half-time to consolidate the hosts’ advantage.

The onslaught continued into the second half as Gnabry sent an acrobatic effort over the crossbar. The next attempt stuck, with Jonas Hofmann driving in from 18 yards after Kimmich’s corner was only half cleared. Substitute Jamal Musiala made David Yurchenko work after Hofmann had seen his effort cleared in front of the goal-line, before going close to teeing up Werner as he had against Liechtenstein days earlier. Yurchenko thwarted the effervescent Goretzka, and Antonio Rüdiger miscued from a corner, but there was still time for another as 18-year-old Florian Wirtz found fellow substiute Karim Adeyemi for a debut goal in added time.

Match stats

• Flick has now won his opening two games as coach of Hoffenheim, Bayern Munich and Germany.
• Gnabry has scored 18 goals in 28 games for Germany.
• Manuel Neuer won his 105th Germany cap.
• Reus marked his 46th international with his 14th goal, and first since June 2019.
• Werner’s registered 18 goals in 44 matches for Germany. He scored 91 times in 222 Bundesliga appearances for VfB Stuttgart and RB Leipzig.
• Hofmann scored his first Germany goal on his fifth appearance for the national team.

Line-ups

Germany: Germany: Neuer (c) - Hofmann, Süle, Rüdiger, Kehrer (Raum 83') - Kimmich (Gündogan 61'), Goretzka - Gnabry (Adeyemi 72'), Reus (Wirtz 60'), Sane (Musiala 60') - Werner
Unused subs: Leno, Trapp, Baku, Schlotterbeck, Klostermann, Neuhaus, Dahoud
Out: Gosens (foot), Havertz (illness), Müller (thigh)
Coach: Hansi Flick

Armenia: Yurchenko - Hambardzumyan (Terteryan 57'), Voskanyan, Haroyan, K. Hovhannisyan - Wbeymar (Udo 46'), A. Grigoryan - Barseghyan (Bichakhchyan 70'), Mkhitaryan (c), Bayramyan (Avanesyan 83') - Adamyan (Geloyan 46')
Unused subs: Buchnev, Beglaryan, Spertsyan, Vardanyan, Mkoyan, Karapetyan, A, Hovhannisyan
Out: -
Coach: Joaquin Caparros

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