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| Classy Klose leads Germany to crushing win |
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Germany continued their smooth start to Euro 2012 qualifying with a comprehensive victory over Berti Vogts' Azerbaijan in Cologne.
Substitute Heiko Westermann made the breakthrough in the 28th minute and goals from Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose in first-half stoppage time made the result safe.
Rashad Sadygov's own goal eight minutes after the interval stretched the hosts' advantage and, although Vagif Javadov pulled one back four minutes later courtesy of an error by Manuel Neuer, further goals in the final five minutes from Klose and Holger Badstuber sealed the rout.
The game was less than 10 minutes in when Joachim Low was forced to make a change, Westermann coming on in place of injured defender Per Mertesacker.
The Hamburg captain almost made an impact four minutes after his arrival, heading over the bar from close range following Mesut Ozil's dangerous cross.
The hosts continued to pepper the Azerbaijan goal with attempts, although visiting goalkeeper Kamran Agayev was not tested in the first quarter.
Agayev made a comfortable save from Podolski's 19th-minute free-kick and then looked on as the same forward again fired over and then saw a shot blocked by Samir Abbasov.
The Azerbaijan goalkeeper was called into action in the 25th minute, however, tipping over a Podolski blast and brilliantly parrying Westermann's powerful downward header from Ozil's corner.
The substitute was not to be denied for much longer, though. Westermann, who missed the World Cup through injury, saw his initial effort kept out by Agayev after being teed up by Klose but the goalkeeper had no answer to his lofted second attempt.
Klose, whose goal was enough to earn the Germans a 1-0 win over Belgium in their opening qualifier in Brussels on Friday, went close five minutes later but Agayev was equal to his close-range effort.
Germany goalkeeper Neuer had to be alert 10 minutes before the break, keeping out a fierce 35-yard drive from Vuqar Nadirov.
The World Cup semi-finalists then put the result beyond doubt with two goals in stoppage time.
First Podolski finished off some neat interplay with Ozil by arrowing a left-footed finish across the keeper and into the bottom corner for his 41st international goal, and then the Cologne forward - on his home ground - turned provider to unselfishly set up Klose for a tap-in.
Sadygov did not help his side's cause by heading past his own keeper in the early stages of the second period.
Javadov gave the away supporters something to cheer shortly afterwards when his inswinging corner was fumbled by Neuer to reduce the arrears, but attention soon switched back to the other end of the pitch.
Marko Marin was off target with a couple of efforts and Podolski also fired wide as Germany looked to extend their advantage.
The hosts' fifth goal arrived in the 85th minute when Badstuber headed home Ozil's cross, and it was swiftly followed by the sixth when Klose lashed Cacau's centre high into the net in stoppage time.
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