Euro 2012 qualifying: Germany 6 Austria 2

Germany sealed their presence at Euro 2012 with a 6-2 victory over Austria in Gelsenkirchen, with Mesut Ozil and Miroslav Klose prevalent.

Klose scored his 62nd international goal, leaving him six behind Gerd Muller’s record for Germany.

Ozil and Lukas Podolski both joined him in etching their names on the score sheet within the opening half hour, as the Germans took a commanding lead.

Marko Arnautovic pulled one back for Austria before half-time, but there was no return for the visitors.

Ozil and Martin Harnik traded goals early in the second half, but substitutes Andre Schurrle and Mario Gotze rounded off Germany’s win with late strikes.

It took just eight minutes for the hosts to break the deadlock. After a cross was cleared only to the edge of the box, Ozil volleyed low towards goal, and the ball took a slight deflection off Klose on its way into the net.

Ozil turned scorer a quarter hour later as he played a one-two with the centre forward, stormed past goalkeeper Christian Gratzei, and finished into an open net.

Germany made it 3-0 on 28 minutes as Podolski received Holger Badstuber’s cut-back and drove a low effort past Gratzei. In one of Austria’s rare moves forward, Arnautovic pulled a goal back on 42 minutes, ghosting into the box to nod Ekram Dag’s cross just inside the left post.

Ozil restored Germany’s three-goal lead just two minutes after half-time as he finished well from Thomas Muller’s inspired header. Seconds later, Arnautovic played in Harnik with a clever overhead ball, and the Stuttgart forward hammered a thunderous volley into the net.

After an extended scoreless period, Muller played a one-two with Klose and Schurrle pounced on a loose ball to make it 5-2. Still not satisfied, Germany got a sixth in the 89th minute as Muller crossed to Gotze, who volleyed home from the centre of the box.

While Germany secured their path to next year’s finals, Austria still have a slight chance to reach the tournament via a play-off, but will have to make up a six-point gap to Turkey in their final three matches.