Joshua Kimmich scores twice as Germany outclass Luxembourg to go top of World Cup qualifying group

The Bayern Munich veteran and Germany captain showed off his scoring touch as Germany ran riot over Luxembourg in a superb showing in Sinsheim that brings them a little closer to World Cup qualification.

Germany 4-0 Luxembourg
Goals: 1-0 Raum 12', 2-0 Kimmich 22' (pen.), 3-0 Gnabry 48' (assist: Adeyemi), 4-0 Kimmich 50'
Red card: Carlson 20'

With Dortmund's Karim Adeyemi named in a fierce-looking attack, the hosts heeded Julian Nagelsmann's pre-match call to put in an impassioned showing by pressing forward from the word go.

Nick Woltemade deflected a Serge Gnabry effort into the net after just three minutes, but as the ball bounced off the former VfB Stuttgart striker's upper arm, it was disallowed for handball.

RB Leipzig's David Raum then made the early pressure count when he curled a sumptuous free-kick into the bottom corner for his first international goal.

David Raum's first international goal came in his 31st cap for Germany. - Sebastian Widmann

Bayern's Kimmich stepped up to double the lead midway through the first half after Dirk Carlson handled in the box to give away a spot kick and earn a red card - therefore putting Germany in complete command.

The chances kept on coming with Adeyemi and Gnabry both seeing opportunities to further extend the lead - but the advantage remained two at the break as the visitors switched into damage-limitation mode and defended deeply. 

A seemingly inevitable third goal came shortly after the restart as Gnaby thundered a drive in from the right after being teed up by Adeyemi.

Just seconds after Luxembourg had resumed playing, the ball was in their net yet again as Kimmich completed his brace by pouncing on a loose ball at short range from a corner. 

Florian Wirtz then hit a post from a free-kick as the only question that remained would be just how many goals Germany would smash in. Jonathan Burkardt had two good efforts in stoppage time, but it remained 4-0. 

The win sends Germany top of their World Cup qualifying group but level on six points with both Northern Ireland, who they face next in Belfast on Monday, and Slovakia.  

Germany are top of their World Cup qualifying group with three matches remaining. - Christian Kaspar-Bartke

Match stats

• Kimmich now has ten international goals, with his first brace coming in his 104th appearance for Germany.
• In addition to his 32 Bundesliga and 40 Bundesliga 2 appearances, Brown, who made his international debut tonight and was previously eligible for the US, has turned out 14 times for Germany’s U21s.
• Gnabry has three goals after six rounds of fixtures in this season's Bundesliga.
• Nagelsmann’s record over his first 26 matches as Germany head coach reads: W14, D6, L6.
• Germany have a perfect record of four wins (previously 9-1, 3-2 and 4-0) in competitive meetings with Luxembourg. They’ve also won eight of nine friendlies (L1).
• The four-time world champions have only ever lost three World Cup qualifiers on home soil (to Portugal in 1985, England in 2001 and North Macedonia in 2021).

Teams

Germany: Baumann - Kimmich (c), Tah, Schlotterbeck (Anton 46'), Raum (Brown 82') - Goretzka, Pavlovic - Gnabry (Beier 68'), Wirtz, Adeyemi (Baku 61') - Woltemade (Burkardt 61')
Unused substitutes: Amiri, Andrich, Atubolu, Dahmen, Koch, Nmecha, Nübel, Schade, Schlotterback, Stiller 
Out: Füllkrug (calf), Havertz (knee), Leweling (groin), Musiala (ankle), Rüdiger (hamstring)
Coach: Julian Nagelsmann

Luxembourg: Moris - Jans (c), Mahmutovic, Korac, Carlson - Olesen (Dzogovic 87'), C. Martins (S. Thill 78') - Cruz (O. Thill 67'), L. Martins, Bohnert (Veiga 46'), Dardari (Selimovic, 67')
Unused substitutes: Cardoso, Muratovic, Fox, Avdusinovic, Curci, M. Martins
Out: Mica Pinto (unspecified)
Coach: Jeff Strasser

As it happened!

4 - 0

(2 - 0)

Germany

FINAL

Luxembourg

FIFA World Cup
Qualifying, Group A Qualifying, Group A PreZero Arena, Sinsheim

Full-time: Germany 4-0 Luxembourg

A canter for Germany in the end. Luxembourg sat in from minute one, giving the hosts the freedom of the pitch to try and work their chances and in the end, they found the back of the net four times. A positive result and a promising performance, but there will be tougher tests ahead for Germany.

© Alexander Hassenstein

Full-time

90'

+ 4

Burkardt misses a great chance

Kimmich chips in a delightful reverse pass that Burkardt can only head wide from close range. That should have been a goal. Luckily for the Frankfurt man, the flag is up.

90'

+ 2

Good effort

Burkardt spins and shoots in the box, but his effort is well beaten away by Moris.

90'

Added time

Four minutes remaining of the game now.

89'

Wirtz almost finds a way through

The Liverpool man almost has his chance, but again he is stopped just before he can fire home.

87'

Kimmich finally has a new pair of shorts

After initially having his shorts stapled together, the Bayern man now seems to have been given a new pair to play in for the final few minutes.

87'

Substitution

Eldin Dzogovic

Mathias Olesen

86'

Almost magic from Wirtz

Wirtz picks up the ball on the edge of the box and skips past a couple of challenges before poking just wide. That was almost superb.

82'

Substitution

Nathaniel Brown

David Raum

81'

Kimmich needs new shorts

A bit of an odd moment here as Kimmich is instructed to leave the pitch to find a replacement pair of shorts. His current pair seem to have torn.

78'

Substitution

Sébastien Thill

Christopher Martins

75'

Baku fires over

A short corner is worked to Baku on the edge of the penalty area. The Leipzig man shoots first time, but can't control his effort on goal, and the ball flies high and wide.

72'

Tah down with a knock

The Bayern centre-back finds himself on the end of a slightly late tackle and requires some treatment, but he should be okay to continue.

68'

Almost a way through

A good cross from the right narrowly avoids the head of Burkardt; otherwise, that could have been the fifth.

68'

Substitution

Maximilian Beier

Serge Gnabry

67'

Substitution

Olivier Thill

Tomas Moreira

67'

Substitution

Vahid Selimovic

Aiman Dardari

62'

Wirtz strikes the post

Germany have a free-kick from a similar position to the goal from Raum in the first half, but this time Wirtz decides to have a go. The free-kick is superb, dipping over the wall with pace, but it strikes the wrong side of the post and bounces clear.

61'

Substitution

Jonathan Burkardt

Nick Woltemade

61'

Substitution

Ridle Baku

Karim Adeyemi

60'

Yellow card

Christopher Martins

57'

Anton with a wild effort

The Dortmund defender decides he wants to get in on the action, but with shots like that, he won't be troubling the score monitor today. His half-volley flies a long way wide of the target.

Kimmich makes it 4-0!

A corner comes in that cannons off the legs of several Luxembourg players before falling kindly to Kimmich to poke home from close range. The German captain won't score many easier than that.

© IMAGO/Team2/Weis

50'

Joshua Kimmich

GOAL!

4:0

49'

Wirtz has a go

The Liverpool man cuts inside and curls an effort towards goal, but it is deflected wide.

Gnabry makes it 3-0

The Bayern man gets a bit of luck with a kindly deflection, but there is no luck involved in the finish. Once he is in the box, Gnabry makes no mistake at the moment. He is full of confidence.

© Pau Barrena

48'

Serge Gnabry

GOAL!

3:0

47'

Adeyemi has a go

The Dortmund forward cuts inside and shoots, but his effort is very wayward.

46'

Back underway

Germany get the second half started.

46'

Substitution

Eric Veiga

Florian Bohnert

46'

Substitution

Waldemar Anton

Nico Schlotterbeck

Kick-off!

Half-time: Germany 2-0 Luxembourg

Germany have been excellent in the opening 45 minutes, but it has been made far too easy for them by Luxembourg, who have sat back since the first few seconds. That has allowed the German players to get on the ball and create space. It is 2-0 at the break, but with the man and quality advantage, it would be of little surprise if the hosts were to add to their lead in the second half.

© Christian Kaspar-Bartke

Half-time

45'

+ 2

Kimmich almost squeezes the ball home

Wirtz whips a delightful cross to the back post that Kimmich almost turns home on the volley, but again Moris is there to make a good stop. The Luxembourg goalkeeper has certainly had plenty to do so far.

45'

Added time

Four minutes left to play now before the break.

42'

Wave after wave of pressure

No chances in the last few minutes, but it is very much more of the same. Germany are in complete control here.

36'

Pavlović has a go

Wirtz rolls the ball into the path of Pavlović, but the Bayern man doesn't connect cleanly and his effort drifts well wide.

33'

Woltemade should make it 3-0

A lovely counter-attack from the hosts sees Wirtz feed Woltemade in the box. The Newcastle striker can't bring the ball under his spell, however, and he is closed down superbly by the onrushing Moris, and the chance goes to waste.

31'

Goretzka is the latest to test Moris

The Bayern man lets fly from just inside the box, but Moris does well to parry the ball away.

29'

Good football, but the flag is up

Kimmich chips a nice ball into the path of Goretzka, who can't quite squeeze his effort past the goalkeeper. The flag was up, though, so the goal wouldn't have counted.

24'

The Germany fans think it is 3-0

It isn't, though. Gnabry's fantastic left-footed effort actually hit a stand behind the goal before rolling back against the net. It did look like it was in for a moment, though, causing a few German fans to cheer and Germany's goal anthem, 'Major Tom', to briefly play. Fantastic football all the same, and a good effort.

Kimmich slots home the penalty

Germany's captain steps up and calmly slots the penalty down the middle. It is a long way back for Luxembourg now.

© IMAGO/Horst Ettensberger

21'

Joshua Kimmich

GOAL!

2:0

Penalty

20'

Penalty given and a red card shown

Carlson is adjudged to have handled the ball in the box and is shown a red card for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity.

20'

Red card

Dirk Carlson

20'

Penalty!

18'

Gnabry almost finds a way through

Wirtz dinks a lovely ball over the top for Gnabry, who controls it well and shoots wide, but was there a hand from Carlson in the process? The referee is checking for a potential penalty.

14'

A first shot for Luxembourg

Dardari gets into the penalty area and has a go with his left foot. However, the shot is weak and simple for Baumann.

And now Germany do lead!

Germany win a free-kick on the edge of the box that Raum whips delightfully over the wall and into the bottom corner. That's two games in a row that Germany have scored directly from a free-kick.

© Sebastian Widmann

12'

David Raum

GOAL!

1:0

8'

Goretzka nods wide

Raum's corner is flicked goalwards by the leaping Goretzka, but his effort drifts just wide of the far post.

4'

Germany think they have the opener

But it won't stand. Gnabry dips inside and shoots. His effort hits Woltemade on the way through and flies into the back of the net, but the ball is adjudged to have come off the Newcastle striker's hand and the goal is chalked off.

4'

Kimmich lets fly

Continued German pressure sees a loose ball pop out to Kimmich on the edge of the box. He lets fly and forces Moris into a good save.

2'

Good start

A promising opening from Germany sees Raum in space on the left. He whips in a good cross that is claimed by Moris.

1'

We're underway

Luxembourg get the game underway by launching the ball out for a Germany throw.

Kick-off!

The national anthems

Both sides are on the pitch now and ready to sing their respective national anthems.

Players in the tunnel

Not long now until we get underway in Sinsheim.

Nagelsmann talking before the game

Nagelsmann is currently talking with the German media and is discussing how important it is for his players to show emotion on the pitch. This is something he has mentioned in a number of recent interviews. He wants more energy and more commitment from his players.

More on those teams

Nick Woltemade starts having recovered from illness in the nick of time, while Karim Adeyemi moves into the starting lineup after his fine start to the season. Leon Goretzka comes into midfield with Joshua Kimmich moving to right back, alongside Jonathan Tah and Nico Schlotterbeck at the heart of the defence - neither of whom started against Northern Ireland.

© IMAGO/BEAUTIFUL SPORTS/Buriakov

Germany starting lineup

Baumann - Kimmich (c), Tah, Schlotterbeck, Raum - Goretzka, Pavlovic - Gnabry, Wirtz, Adeyemi - Woltemade

Germany subs

Nübel, Stiller, Koch, Andrich, Amiri, Nmecha, Beier, Baku, Anton, Burkardt, Dahmen, Brown

Luxembourg starting lineup

Moris - Jans (c), Mahmutovic, Korac, Carlson - Olesen, C. Martins - Cruz, L. Martins, Bohnert, Dardari

Luxembourg subs

Cardoso, Selimovic, Veiga, Muratovic, O. Thill, Fox, Avdusinovic, Curci, M. Martins, Dzogovic, S. Thill

Luxembourg's German-based core

The visitors' squad includes Borussia Mönchengladbach 'keeper Tiago Pereira Cardoso, midfield duo Daniel Sinani (St. Pauli, pictured) and Mathias Olesen (Greuther Fürth), and Augsburg forward Aiman Dardari.

© IMAGO/Fernando Soares

Last time in Sinsheim

The last time Germany played at the PreZero Arena was a 2-0 friendly win over Israel, with Kai Havertz and Timo Werner getting the goals.

© IMAGO

Selection headache?

That relieving victory over Northern Ireland saw the likes of Nadiem Amiri and Maximilian Beier put in impressive performances off the bench, with Amiri even scoring the goal to put them 2-1 ahead. Beier has since maintained good form for Dortmund in the league as well, meaning Nagelsmann could be forgiven for tinkering with his attacking options.

© IMAGO/Malte Ossowski / SVEN SIMON

Bouncing back

Germany's three consecutive losses before their win over Northern Ireland was the first time that they had lost three in a row under Nagelsmann. They did endure a three game winless run at the start of his tenure, but one of those games was a draw against Mexico.

Jeff Strasser on facing Germany and Nagelsmann

"I think the team is stronger than people currently perceive it to be. Julian's teams always have a signature style. Under him, the team strives to dominate, and the defining element is playing with the ball. He's very likeable, with an enormous level of expertise and tactical acumen and his teams play the same way. They're usually capable of playing in different formations within one system."

© IMAGO/Ben Majerus

10:40

Watch: The story of Florian Wirtz

From teenage prodigy to star of the German game at just 22, learn more about the rise of Florian Wirtz.

Wirtz to be honoured ahead of kick-off

The Liverpool midfielder was voted Germany's 'Footballer of the Year' in August, beating the likes of Michael Olise and Nick Woltemade to the award. Wirtz will finally receive his trophy before the game.

© IMAGO/Marco Steinbrenner/DeFodi Images

Leading the way

"I'm one of the experienced players with the most caps in the current squad," added Gnabry. "I try to help the young players, like players like Mesut [Özil], Sami [Khedira], Thomas [Müller] did with me when I first arrived to the national team. But the most important thing is to show your leadership qualities on the pitch and lead by example."

© Sebastian Widmann

Gnabry looking to take club form with him

In-form Bayern star Serge Gnabry met the media alongside his coach, saying: "I want to bring my qualities and my form into the pitch, assist and score goals. It's a must-win and a very important game for us"

© Sebastian Widmann

Woltemade and Schlotterbeck could feature

Nagelsmann also had updates on the fitness of Nick Woltemade and Nico Schlotterbeck, saying the former "could start" after suffering from illness but a call will be made today. Dortmund defender Schlotterbeck, meanwhile, has only just recovered from injury but looks likely to feature in some capacity over the international break. "I haven't decided yet whether he'll start," said Nagelsmann. "That could well be the case but I'm aware that he won't play the full 90 minutes twice."

© Sebastian Widmann

Nagelsmann expects "good opponent"

The Germany coach has told media that he and his side will not take Luxembourg lightly on Friday night. "I don't think we're in a position to underestimate an opponent," he said. "Luxembourg are doing well. They can play freely and have shown in recent games that they can adapt their game. So, I expect a good opponent. I have never gone into a team meeting and said: We have to win the game by a large margin. That is rarely conducive to motivation and shows little respect for the opponent."

© Sebastian Widmann

Nagelsmann's upcoming anniversary

Julian Nagelsmann's first game as Germany boss came on 14 October 2023, when he oversaw a 3-1 win against the USA. In his 25 games in charge until now, he has won 13, drawn six and lost six, averaging 1.8 points per game. As he approaches two years in the job, he'll hope for his side to stay on the winning trail after recording one victory from their last five games - their recent 3-1 win over Northern Ireland.

© IMAGO/Frank Hoermann / SVEN SIMO

Perfect record

Germany have won seven from seven against Luxembourg, and have also scored seven goals against them three times. Only two of those meetings have been in competitive games though, and the last time they faced each other was in 2006 (7-0), when Strasser was still playing.

© IMAGO

Tough start

Having taken over the reins of the national team in August, Strasser has only overseen two games until now, both of which have been losses to Slovakia and Northern Ireland.

© IMAGO/Ben Majerus

Gnabry's Strasser Cup experience

There is a youth football tournament named after Strasser in his homeland - the Jeff Strasser Cup - which Germany forward Serge Gnabry took part in as a youngster. "I still have vague memories of a youth tournament in Luxembourg," said the Bayern forward. "However, I didn't know at the time that it was the Jeff Strasser Cup."

Strasser's stay in Germany

Luxembourg manager Jeff Strasser represented Kaiserslautern and Borussia Mönchengladbach in his playing days, making 194 Bundesliga appearances between 1999 and 2006. He collected 98 caps for Luxembourg.

© IMAGO / pmk

Good to be Baku

RB Leipzig full-back Ridle Baku is in contention for a start upon his return to the national team. He last represented Germany in 2021, when he came on as a substitute in a 4-1 win away to Armenia.

© Marc Schueler via www.imago-images.de

Back in training

Both Woltemade and Baumann have returned to training following struggles with illness, while Leweling trained individually as he continues to nurse and adductor problem.

© IMAGO/Harry Koerber

Schade swapped in

An adductor injury to Jamie Leweling has seen the VfB Stuttgart player leave the squad early and be replaced by Kevin Schade - formerly of Freiburg - who has four caps previously.

0:52

Watch: Germany's players arrive for international duty

Woltemade doubt

In addition to Baumann, Newcastle United and former Stuttgart forward Nick Woltemade is a doubt. An illness prevented him from linking up with the squad until Tuesday evening, at which stage it was not clear if he would be able to train in the following days.

© Christian Hofer

First call-up

Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu has received a late call-up for Germany’s next two internationals. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Oli Baumann is dealing with a bout of nausea and trained individually in the gym on Tuesday.

© Christian Hofer

A tough start for Luxembourg

European minnows Luxembourg have given a good account of themselves in their first two games, but travel to Germany with zero points following narrow losses against Northern Ireland and Slovakia. Against Slovakia, it took a 90th-minute winner from Tomáš Rigo to snatch a point away from Luxembourg.

Work to do

Germany got their qualifying campaign underway in the worst possible manner, losing 2-0 to Slovakia in their opener. They did make up for it somewhat by beating Northern Ireland 3-1 a few days later, but the national team certainly have work to do right now to qualify for the World Cup.

© IMAGO/Herbertz / Nico Herbertz

Hello and welcome!

Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this World Cup Qualifier between Germany and Luxembourg.