Hofmann scores in 4-1 win for Germany – all three Foals start

All three Foals started as Germany beat Armenia 4-1 in their final World Cup qualifier, with Jonas Hofmann netting the fourth goal of the night.

Germany ended their World Cup qualifying campaign with another win, beating Armenia 4-1 in their final group stage match to bring their final points tally to 27 from 10 games. Head coach Hansi Flick’s side had already booked their tickets to next year’s tournament, and were guaranteed to finish top of their group. All three Foals were named in the starting XI, with Matthias Ginter at centre-back, Jonas Hofmann at right wing and Florian Neuhaus lining up in central midfield.

While Ginter was able to enjoy a relatively quiet evening at the back, Hofmann and Neuhaus were able to contribute to the attack on a number of occasions. Hofmann helped set up the opener with a cross into the box that found Kai Havertz (15’). Shortly before the break, Neuhaus was taken down inside the box and won a penalty, which Ilkay Gündogan coverted to double Germany’s advantage (45’+4).

After the change of ends, it didn’t take long for Gündogan to add his second of the night (50’). Ten minutes later, Neuhaus fouled David Terterjan inside the box, with Mkhitaryan sending the penalty past Ter Stegen (59’). It didn’t take long for Hofmann to restore Germany’s three-goal advantage, as he cooly slotted home to make it 4-1. He was then subbed off in the 73rd minute, with Neuhaus being taken off 10 minutes later. Ginter played the full 90 minutes. Photo: imago images / Khachatryan

Borges Sanches subbed out

Yvandro Borges Sanches from the Borussia U19s was subbed off in the 52nd minute of Luxembourg’s 3-0 loss to Ireland. The game was still deadlocked at 0-0 when he left the pitch, before Shane Duffy (67’), Chiedozie Ogbene (75’) and Callum Robinson (88’) scored to seal the win for the Irish side. Luxembourg ended the group stage in fourth place. Aged just 17, it was already Borges Sanches’ sixth appearance for the senior Luxembourg squad.