Klose and Müller at the Double
Road to Euro 2012 Poland and Ukraine
Germany extended their lead at the top of Euro 2012 Qualifying Group A with a comfortable 4-0 win over Kazakhstan at Fritz Walter Stadium on Saturday evening.
Bayern Munich's attacking duo of Miroslav Klose and Thomas Müller scored twice each in an easy win for Joachim Löw's side in Kaiserslautern.
Germany's fifth consecutive win gives them an eight-point cushion at the top of their group ahead of their clash with Austria in June, while Kazakhstan are still waiting for their first goal, let alone their first point in qualifying.
Klose, inexplicably ignored by Louis van Gaal for a season and a half at Bayern Munich, celebrated a decade of 'national service' by opening the scoring at his former 'Betzenberg' home where he kicked off his Bundesliga career.
The German powerhouse was set into motion after just three minutes when Klose lurked at the back post to tap in Bastian Schweinsteiger's free-kick.
Bayern colleague Thomas Müller doubled the lead on 25 minutes, expertly nodding home after an inch-perfect delivery from Real Madrid's Mezut Ãzil.
And Müller was again on the spot to slot home just before half time, with Ãzil once more the expert provider.
The minnows of Kazakhstan (FIFA ranking 132) had no answer to the Germans' high-tempo game, which was packed with power and clinical precision.
It really should have been a double-figures win but during the second half the German players were content to go through the motions, conserving their energy perhaps for more important club fixtures ahead.
The sell-out Kaiserslautern crowd were served pretty ordinary fare during the second half. The cheers had turned to jeers by the time that man Klose popped up again on 88 minutes to complete the scoring, after unselfish set-up play from Sami Khedira of Real Madrid.
The 32-year-old Polish-born striker has now amassed 61 goals in 107 appearances. He now has his sights firmly set on Gerd Müller's all-time goal-scoring record. The 'Bomber' Müller - another Bayern legend - racked up an astonishing 68 goals in only 62 games for Germany.