“Norway did not come into play at all and had no opportunities to score”.
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Norway, who beat Germany 1-0 away in a friendly in 2009 when the teams last met, lacked ambition from the outset but any plans they may have had of frustrating the visitors were quickly torpedoed.
And it was the Bayern Munich forward who supplied the assist for Germany’s second, which club-mate Joshua Kimmich emphatically dispatched in first-half stoppage time for his maiden senior global goal.
Mueller scrambled in the opener in the 15th minute after his first attempt was blocked by Even Hovland and Havard Nordtveit before heading in his second on the hour.
Joachim Low is still hurting after Thomas Muller’s goalless Euro 2016, despite the Bayern Munich forward scoring twice in Norway triumph.
The game would probably have been beyond the hosts had Arkadiusz Milik’s shot gone in, rather than hitting a post, just before half-time but Kazakhstan made the most of their good fortune with two quick-fire goals from Sergei Khizhnichenko early in the second half.
The European qualification campaign for 2018 World Cup began tonight as holders Germany looked to defend their title.
It was an unconventional goal, typical of Mueller, who hadn’t scored internationally since the 2-1 win over Georgia in Euro 2016 qualifying in October 2015.
Muller bagged a brace and also set up a first global goal for Joshua Kimmich as Low’s side cruised to victory in Oslo.
Germany top the group after the opening round of matches, with Azerbaijan also claiming a 1-0 victory against San Marino and Northern Ireland holding Czech Republic to a 0-0 draw.
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“He worked really hard at the European Championship and had a lot of chances without scoring a goal. He’s a flawless fit for the rest of team, we just need players like him to have the right mix”.
