Armenia 1-4 Germany: Player ratings as Ilkay Gundogan double wraps up impressive campaign for Die Mannschaft | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers
Germany wrapped up their qualifying campaign for the 2022 FIFA World Cup with a routine 4-1 thumping of Armenia in Yerevan.
A brace from Ilkay Gundogan on either side of goals from Kai Havertz and Jonas Hofmann continued Hansi Flick's record start as Die Mannschaft's manager.
Armenia, meanwhile, pulled one back through Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who struck a penalty in the 59th minute, but it wasn't enough.
In a must-win clash for them, Joaquín Caparrós' side were no match for the 2014 world champions. They finished their campaign in fourth, having started it with three wins from three.
FT: Armenia 1-4 Germany.
The World Cup qualifiers come to an end for Germany. They top the group having scored 32 goals while conceding 3. https://t.co/LQc4mKTUvL
North Macedonia, who beat Iceland in the other game, secured the play-off spot from Group J.
Here are the player ratings for Germany:
Marc-Andre ter Stegen - 7.5/10
Armenia rarely ever threatened but Ter Stegen had to be on his toes whenever they looked to break forward in transitions. He had no chance with Mkhitaryan's penalty though.
Thilo Kehrer - 7.5/10
He had a lot of space and time to drive forward. Kehrer utilized it to stretch Armenia out wide, whilst also demonstrating his expansive passing range.
Mathias Ginter - 7/10
Germany had Armenia so much on the backfoot that most of Ginter's work came from midfield rather than defense. Tidy in possession and kept everything clean at the back.
Jonathan Tah - 7.5/10
The Bayer Leverkusen man read the game brilliantly, jumping into tackles and interceptions. Tah used his physical strengths to bully Armenian players on the ball.
Jonas Hofmann - 8/10
He set up Havertz following a nice one-two with Muller. He then got on the scoresheet after the break after latching onto a loose ball.
Jonas Hofmann's second international goal 📚
#DieMannschaft #ARMGER 1-4 https://t.co/cE0pWw6Zy0
Florian Neuhaus - 7.5/10
He helped win a penalty in the first half and then conceded one to Armenia, before seeing a rasping effort from distance test Stanislav Buchnev. An eventful night in Yerevan for him.
Ilkay Gundogan - 8/10
The Manchester City star continued his recent prolific spell in front of goal with a brace, including a penalty. He is now the highest scorer in the squad in these qualifiers with five.
No German player has scored more goals in World Cup qualifying than Ilkay Gündogan (5).
At the double this evening. ⚽️⚽️ https://t.co/xoieRi70HI
David Raum - 7/10
The 23-year-old was excellent in wide areas, offering great width whilst also making good recovery runs on the break. However, he must get stronger on the ball.
Thomas Muller - 8/10
The Raumdeuter was once again the brains behind his team's attacking plays. He helped create the first goal and then assisted Gundogan for Germany's third.
Leroy Sane - 7.5/10
He looked very lively in the opening half, creating a few chances whilst also going at goal himself, though Sane was lacking in the end-product. He faded after the break and was taken off around the hour mark.
Kai Havertz - 7.5/10
The Chelsea ace opened the floodgates in the 15th minute. He kept the Armenian defense busy throughout with his movement and testing shots.
Kai Havertz has now been directly involved in five goals in eight World Cup qualifying games for Germany:
⚽️ 3 goals
🅰️ 2 assists
Goals in back-to-back games for the Chelsea man. https://t.co/6NBlOnFv5O
Substitutes
Lukas Nmecha - 7/10
The young Wolfsburg striker injected energy and dynamism into Germany's play in what was a promising cameo.
Julian Brandt - 6.5/10
He saw a goal-bound effort deflected away by Hoffman. Else, he would've got on the scoresheet too.
Maximilian Arnold - 6/10
He saw a shot saved by Buchnev soon after coming on and then went into the books for a crunching tackle on Mkhitaryan.
Kevin Volland - 6/10
His first touches let him down.
Ridley Baku - N/A
Besides a few ordinary passes, there was nothing much to see from him.