Mario Gomez and Mesut Oezil each scored to give Germany a 2-0 victory over World Cup host South Africa in a friendly match on Saturday.
Gomez scored in the 36th minute with a simple tap-in after a smart move that began with Oezil, who put through captain Michael Ballack. The Chelsea midfielder then sent a low centre for Gomez to convert from close range.
Oezil himself scored the second in the 77th after a first-time through ball from Miroslav Klose.
”Oezil brings a lot of creativity to the team, he does the unexpected,” Germany coach Joachim Loew said. ”He started several dangerous moves.”
Oezil, who chose to play for Germany rather than Turkey — the land of his grandparents, scored in his third game for the national team.
”We played a very good match as a unit,” said Oezil, who plays for Werder Bremen and was Germany’s best player on his first start.
Germany used the game as a warm-up for Wednesday’s World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan and what is likely to be a crucial match in Russia next month.
”We combined much better and the younger players played well,” Loew said. – Sapa-AP