Germany coach Joachim Low issued what was meant to be a ‘feet on the ground’ message to his squad but which sent shivers the down the spines of anyone who watched the demolition of the Australian team.

Whilst clearly delighted with the performance, Low stressed that his team had areas for improvement. “It was very important that we won because we gained a lot of self confidence” he said, “We did many things right but this is just the start. There is still room for improvement.”

Striker Miroslav Klose returned to scoring ways against Australia, his first international goal for eight months. Third in the all-time scoring list for Germany, Klose was confident that his ability to find the net had not deserted him. “I never doubted myself, have never done it and never will” he said “I know my strengths.”