International football round-up: Germany rout Georgia, Brazil and France win friendlies

Sport360 staff 12:10 30/03/2015
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  • Germany created 13 chances while restricting Georgia to just two shots in the Group D match.

    Marco Reus and Thomas Mueller’s first-half goals sealed a 2-0 win in Georgia on Sunday to put world champions Germany’s Euro 2016 qualifying campaign back on track.

    After failing to impress in their seven internationals since winning Brazil 2014, this was a far more polished display from the world champions.

    Germany created 13 chances while restricting their hosts to just two shots, and only an outstanding display from Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Loria kept his side in the game.

    Leow started with seven of the side which won the World Cup final while captain Bastian Schweinsteiger made his first appearance since Germany were crowned world champions in Rio de Janerio.

    Georgia are second from bottom of Group D after also losing to Poland, Ireland and Scotland, but the home crowd passionately cheered every counter-attack by the hosts at the sold-out Boris Paichadze stadium.

    Elsewhere in European qualifiers, Shane Long was the Ireland‘s hero as his 90th minute goal in a 1-1 draw with Poland at Lansdowne Road. It looked for so long as if Slawomir Peszko’s first-half goal would give Poland all three points and all but end Ireland’s ambitions of going to France next year.

    Scotland manager Gordon Strachan admitted that Gibraltar made his life a misery during his side’s 6-1 win over the Group D minnows at Hampden. The Scots had taken the lead through a soft Shaun Maloney penalty in the 18th minute, but were left shocked when policeman Lee Casciaro equalised just over a minute later to claim his nation’s first competitive goal. 

    Strachan’s side recovered and eventually ran out easy winners after a Steven Fletcher hat-trick, another from Maloney and a goalf from Steven Naismith.

    In the night’s friendlies, Brazil extended their winning streak under new coach Dunga to eight matches as Roberto Firmino came off the bench to secure a 1-0 win over Chile in a feisty friendly at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. 

    Hired for a second spell in charge in the aftermath of their humiliating 7-1 World Cup semi-final defeat against Germany last year, Dunga is restoring his country’s pride in their national team and he will earn more plaudits for the astute substitution that brought on match-winner Firmino. 

    Alexandre Lacazette scored his first international goal to set France on the way to a 2-0 friendly victory over Denmark in Saint-Etienne. The Lyon striker set the ball rolling in the 14th minute and Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud added another before half-time as Les Bleus bounced back from their 3-1 defeat to Brazil at the Stade de France last Thursday. 

    A goal by Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez and an impressive performance from goalkeeper Jesus Corona lifted Mexico to a 1-0 friendly win over Ecuador on Saturday. In front of 90,000 fans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Hernandez scored the lone goal in the 14th minute, ending his four-month scoring drought.

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