Germany coach Joachim Low said his side had run the Czech Republic into the ground after an hour of their World Cup qualifier in Hamburg.
The defending world champions prevailed 3-0 and Low said he knew two thirds of the way in — when his side led 2-0 — that it was already game, set and match.
“You could see after an hour that we had run our opponents ragged,” he said. “They had no chance then.”
The Czech Republic did create their best chances after the hour mark, but Germany’s win was never in any doubt.
“We could possibly have got an extra goal in the first half,” said defender Jerome Boateng to RTL television.
“We had the Czechs chasing us all the time and they had hardly any chances — it was a very good game from us.
“Now we need to carry on against Northern Ireland and keep playing quickly and taking our chances.”
That is an art which Thomas Muller has more than mastered, especially when talk is of the World Cup — a tournament in which he has already scored 10 goals in the final phase.
He moved onto four in the current qualifying campaign with his brace, but that was not enough for his liking.
“We should have scored more,” said the Bayern Munich attacking midfielder. “It was nevertheless a great game from us.
“To score goals, all you have to do is work hard and keep on trying.”
Thanks to their second straight win, Germany moved to the top of their group ahead of Azerbaijan on goal difference.
They will look to move clear on Tuesday when they host Northern Ireland, before travelling to San Marino in their final World Cup qualifier of 2016 in November.
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