Germany kicked off the final phase of their World Cup preparations with a straightforward 3-0 victory over Malta at the Tivoli Stadium in Aachen this afternoon.
Urged on by 27,000 fans, Germany dominated for long stretches but had to wait until the hour to seal the issue. Malta had been on the ropes during a frenetic opening as Germany went on the attack from the outset but John Buttigieg's squad began to play some positive football as the first half wore on.
The first half ended 1-0 after Cacau had given Germany the lead after 16 minutes but Joachim Loew's experimental side hit two goals around the hour mark to knock the fight out of Malta who were thereafter outclassed and outfought by their illustrious opponents who, late in the game, missed three clear chances to increase their lead.
The game was only three minutes old when Malta goalkeeper Haber was diving to his right to save a low shot by Piotr Trochowski. Sprightly movement by Trochowski on the right unhinged the Maltese rearguard as the Hamburg winger crossed for Toni Kroos who volleyed high and wide.
Malta coach John Buttigieg had to make his first substitution after just eight minutes as midfielder Jamie Pace was unable to continue after suffering what looked like a knee injury during a corner action. Trevor Cilia replaced Pace.
Germany continued to pile the pressure on Malta. Their relentless pressure yielded a goal after 16 minutes thanks to Cacau who headed Dennis Aogo's brilliant cross past Haber. The Malta goalkeeper denied Germany a second goal as he touched away Kroos's half-volley after Malta had again failed to deal with Cacau's elusive run. Malta threatened to score against the run of play after piecing together an excellent move.
Roderick Briffa's through-ball picked out Andrew Cohen who evaded his marker in the six-yard box before letting the ball roll to Briffa. The Valletta midfielder had an unobstructed view of goal but he mishit his shot and Manuel Neuer pushed the ball away for a corner.
Two minutes later, Haber frustrated Germany again when beating away Stefan Kiessling's header from Aogo's corner. The Malta goalkeeper made two more crucial saves as he first turned Kiessling's header around his near post and, moments later, he repelled a strong drive from Kroos.
The loose ball fell kindly to Trochowski but his low cross eluded his advancing team-mates. A neat interchange between Kiessling and Lukas Podolski ended with the Cologne forward hitting a low shot that finished wide. Germany remained on top but Malta began to see more of the ball as the first half progressed.
Four minutes from half-time, Haber blocked a header from Cacau who had jumped high to meet a corner by Kroos and, at the other end, Cohen's curling drive sailed wide of the far post. In the dying minutes of the first half, Kiessling skewed his shot high after being set up by Andreas Beck and, seconds later, Haber rushed out of goal to ward off a drive by Kroos.
Three minutes into the second half, Andrei Agius charged down a Podolski strike but Germany increased their lead on 57 minutes. Cacau struck Germany's second goal, slotting the ball into an empty net after receiving from Podolski who had run unimpeded into the Malta box in a Germany counter-attack.
Barely a minute after Cacau's second goal, Malta could have narrowed the deficit when Briffa floated the ball towards Cilia but the latter volleyed over.
Germany tripled their lead on the hour. Kenneth Scicluna committed an own goal as he blasted the ball into his own in an attempt to clear Podolski's dangerous cross from the right.
After directing a header wide of the far post, Cacau was denied his hat-trick by Haber. A minute from time, Haber just managed to keep out a fierce shot by Kiessling and Agius slid back to clear the loose ball away. At the death, Trochowski hit the post with a diagonal shot.
After this weekend, Germany will hold two training camps, one in Sicily and one in the Italian Alps, and will face Hungary in their second warm-up game on May 29 in Budapest.
The 27-man group will be cut to 23 for the official World Cup squad and Germany will play their final warm-up game against Bosnia-Herzegovina on June 3 before flying to South Africa on June 6.
The Germans have drawn Australia, Ghana and Serbia in Group D with their first game against the Australians on June 13 in Durban.