Ballack goals boost Germany

Germany 7-0 Malta
Four goals from FC Bayern München playmaker Michael Ballack helped Germany restore some confidence with an emphatic win against Malta in Freiburg.

Romanian reverse
The match was Germany's first since last month's 5-1 reverse against Romania in Bucharest, and allowed Rudi Völler's side to record a resounding victory. Defender Jens Nowotny, midfield player Torsten Frings and striker Fredi Bobic also found the target.

Buoyant Ballack
The 2002 FIFA World Cup finalists, who face the Czech Republic, Latvia and the Netherlands in Group D in Portugal, have looked out of sorts recently, but Ballack believes tonight's result has helped them get their preparations back on track. "That was important," he said. "Scoring seven goals is always an achievement."

Early goals
Ballack opened the scoring in the 15th minute, shooting past Malta goalkeeper Mario Muscat with a low left-footed drive. The Bayern midfield player then doubled the lead two minutes later, heading in Philipp Lahm's cross.

First international goal
It was 3-0 in the 33rd minute as Bayer 04 Leverkusen defender Nowotny scored his first goal for his country, capitalising on a misjudgement by Muscat to follow up and score from close range.

Frings benefits
Frings, the BV Borussia Dortmund midfield player, made it 4-0 at half-time, flicking the ball over the luckless Muscat three minutes before the interval.

Muscat dismissed
Ballack headed two more goals after the restart, scoring his second and Germany's fifth a minute before the hour. A night to forget for Muscat was compounded 12 minutes from time as he was sent off for fouling German striker Miroslav Klose outside the penalty area, and the ten men of Malta conceded twice more in the time remaining.

Headed bonus
Ballack completed an excellent evening's work in front of goal with his fourth goal four minutes from the end of normal time, and the match was rounded off by Bobic's goal – also a header - two minutes into added time.

Future friendlies
"You need games like this to build confidence," said Völler. "The way we played was satisfying but we are not getting carried away." Germany have two more friendlies to play, against fellow EURO 2004™ finalists Switzerland in Basel on 2 June and Hungary in Kaiserslautern four days later, before they travel to Portugal.