Mönchengladbach (Germany) (AFP)

Always looking for his past glory, Germany qualified for the Euro-2020 Saturday by beating Belarus 4-0, thanks to a double of Toni Kroos.

The Germans and Dutch have simultaneously won their tickets for the continental tournament, and the last matches on Tuesday (Germany-Northern Ireland and the Netherlands - Estonia) will have as stake only the first place in Group C.

This foolish victory against a very weak Belarusian team does not say much about the true level of the four-time world champions. But the benefit would rather show why Germany "will not be among the favorites of the Euro", as admitted himself coach Joachim Löw.

She also explains why the team has struggled to complete home stadiums for over a year. Only 35,000 supporters came to cheer him on at Borussia Park in Mönchengladbach, a 54,000-seat compound.

The Mannschaft, in total reconstruction since its pitiful elimination in the first round of the World Cup-2018 in Russia, has indeed posted some limits in the game.

Despite a quasi-permanent ball possession, the Germans have been slow in transitions - one of their intrinsic strengths - and often too predictable in combinations.

Matthias Ginter, excellent defense boss in the absence of injured Niklas Süle, still concretized the superiority of his own shortly before the break, a superb heeling on a center Serge Gnabry (a goal that the VAR would have may have been invalidated for offside, if it had been used).

- Lack of automatisms -

Leon Goretzka doubled the lead at the start of the second period, from a limpid recovery from a corner to the edge of the box (2-0, 49th), taking advantage of the naivety of the opposing defense. Toni Kroos, without any opposition, scored 16 meters from a shot put the third goal (3-0, 55th), before re-offending in the 83rd minute (4-0) after having finely eliminated a defender in the box.

"This team has great qualities but many players still need a few years to develop," said Löw, who has several times regretted in recent weeks the lack of experience of his group, facing in 2019 an uninterrupted cascade of injuries that prevented the establishment of a fixed framework.

These absences "do not contribute to give us consistency and create automatisms," says the coach.

Saturday night, the Germans quickly looked for the fault, with eleven shots on goal in the first 20 minutes. But for lack of a faster tempo and a real force of percussion, none of their attempts was really dangerous, except a shot from Ginter (already!) Hijacked by the Belarus goalkeeper Aleksandr Gutar at the cost of a beautiful parade (15th).

Manuel Neuer, the only survivor with Toni Kroos of the holders of the 2014 world title, even avoided the visitors opening the score in the 40th minute, diverting from a spectacular relaxation a shot of Igor Stasevich.

Ginter scored in the next minute and released his team.

Neuer then healed his stats by taking a penalty kick from Stasevich in the 75th minute to keep a clean sheet.

© 2019 AFP