November 14, (THEWILL) – Germany finished a successful 2022 World Cup qualification series with a 4-1 win over Armenia in the Vazgen Sargsyan anvan Hanrapetakan Marza Stadium in Yerevan on Sunday evening.
Hansi Flicks’ side was the first nation to qualify for next year’s competition in Qatar when they secured top spot in Group J in October.
Even with qualification assured, Chelsea’s Kai Havertz hit the post from close range within five minutes of the start and gave the visitors the lead with a tap-in 10 minutes later. Ilkay Gündogan made it two with a goal from the penalty spot at half-time after a VAR check identified an infringement against Florian Neuhaus in the hosts’ penalty area.
Armenia offered little threats against the Germans save a few flickers of action on the counter which Die Mannschaft dealt with efficiently. They were outplayed in the first 45 minutes by the German machines and had all they could do in damage limitation after the interval.
It looked like they could not even do that because only five minutes into the second period, goalkeeper Stanislav Buchnev inexplicably allowed a weak Gündogan shot through his hands into the net for the third goal of the tie.
Although Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored a consolation goal through a penalty on the hour, the Armenian goal-scorer became the villain five minutes later when he gave Jonas Hofmann the ball as Germany pressed. Hofmann showed good composure to beat Buchnev to make it 4-1.
Germany continued to dominate possession for the remainder of the game but were unable to increase their tally.
The result means that despite Armenia’s promising start to the qualifiers, they failed to qualify directly and finished outside the playoff places as North Macedonia clinched the ticket for the playoffs instead.
Armenia will therefore have another four-year wait for a first world cup appearance while Germany again are favourites for Qatar 2022.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
