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Germany score record 13 goals

European Championship Qualifying Group D / San Marino 0 Germany 13:  Germany crushed San Marino with a record 13-0 win last …

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Thu Sept 07 2006 - 01:00

European Championship Qualifying Group D / San Marino 0 Germany 13: Germany crushed San Marino with a record 13-0 win last night, striker Lukas Podolski scoring four in the Euro 2008 Group D qualifier. The victory is a record in a European Championship qualifying match - bettering Spain's 12-1 victory over Malta in December, 1983.

Joachim Loew's side were 6-0 up by the interval against hopeless opposition and never eased up as they humiliated their mostly amateur opponents.

Bastian Schweinsteiger, Miroslav Klose and Thomas Hitzlsperger all scored two goals each with Michael Ballack, Arne Friedrich and Bernd Schneider (penalty) also on target.

Germany's all-time record win is a 16-0 victory over Russia in the 1912 Olympics. The result is the worst in San Marino's history.

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The other game in the Republic of Ireland's Euro 2008 qualifying group last night saw Libor Sionko scoring twice and setting up the third goal to lead the Czech Republic to a 3-0 victory over Slovakia.

Sionko put the visitors ahead after 10 minutes when he headed home a left-wing cross from Marek Jankulovski just seconds after he had struck the bar.

The agile midfielder scored again 11 minutes later with a low shot into the left-hand corner from Jan Koller's pass.

Towering forward Koller made it 3-0 for the 2004 Euro semi-finalists in the 57th minute, driving home Sinko's low pass from close range after Tomas Rosicky's clever low free kick through the Slovak defence.

The Czechs comfortably controlled the match and had several more scoring opportunities.Their compact defence allowed the home team only one clear chance when Petr Cech blocked a downward header from Jozef Valachovic in first-half injury-time.

SAN MARINO: Simoncini; Valentini, Vannucci (Simoncini 68), Albani, Della Valle, Bacciocchi; Palazzi, Marani, Domeniconi; Marani (Massi 76), Selva.

GERMANY: Lehmann; Jansen, A Friedrich, Friedrich, Lahm; Schneider, Frings (Hitzlsperger 62), Ballack (Odonkor 46), Schweinsteiger; Klose (Asamoah 46), Podolski. Goals: Podolski (12,42,64,70), Schweinsteiger (29,48), Klose (30,45+1), Ballack (35), Hitzlsperger (66 ,72), Friedrich (87), Schneider (90 pen).

Referee: S Dereli (Turkey).