Dazzling Germany hit Bosnia for seven to secure top-spot in Nations League group
A maiden Nationalmannschaft appearance at the Europa-Park Stadion started in the best possible way, as Germany took the lead after just 80 seconds.
The sizeable void in aerial prowess left by Deniz Undav’s absence was surprisingly filled by Jamal Musiala, who leapt high to direct Joshua Kimmich’s floated cross back across goal and into the far corner.
With a loss meaning certain relegation back to League B, it must have been disappointing for former Hamburg legend Sergej Barbarez to see his Bosnia side allow their opponents to double the arrears 20 minutes later.
The visitors’ inability to clear allowed Robert Andrich to put in a low shot which fortuitously deflected off Tim Kleindienst’s toe and nestled into the bottom corner – the Borussia Monchengladbach man’s first international goal.
The chances kept coming, and Bosnia were kept just about in it by a stunning reflex save from St. Pauli-based goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj to deny Kai Havertz.
However, they were soon carved apart by a superb passing move in which Florian Wirtz put Havertz clean through, and this time Vasilj was powerless to stop him sweeping in a third.
A pair of saves from Baumann to deny both Armin Gigovic and Ermedin Demirovic just before the break proved Bosnia’s luck was out, and Wirtz made it four soon after the restart with a bamboozling free-kick which dipped and swerved devastatingly into Vasilj’s top corner.
That was swiftly followed by another for the reigning Bundesliga player of the year, after he lurked at the far post to tap in Havertz’s low cross.
Substitutions of some of the hosts’ best players didn’t change much either, and Leroy Sane entered the fray to brilliantly take it past Adrian Leon Barisic and squeeze it beyond Vasilj for a sensational sixth.
Already staring down the barrel of a largest margin of defeat since becoming an international team in 1995, things got even worse for Bosnia as Kleindienst notched his brace, sliding in Antonio Rudiger’s whipped cross to round out the night with a seventh.
After already cementing their place in the Nations League final stages for the first time since the tournament’s inception with a win against Netherlands last time out, this emphatic result sealed their status as worthy group winners.
Bosnia’s yo-yo status in the Nations League continues, meanwhile, as they have now been either promoted or relegated between Leagues A and B in each of the tournament’s four cycles.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Florian Wirtz (Germany)