Özil strikes twice for Germany

Mesut Özil scored twice and Rouwen Hennings once as Germany moved to the top of Group 9 in qualifying for the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship with victory against Moldova in front of 6,300 fans in Pirmasens.

Özil opener
Germany, playing without suspended captain Eugen Polanski, enjoyed much of the early possession but Moldova looked threatening on the break. The home side, however, would soon make their dominance tell. Hennings shot narrowly wide on 33 minutes before Özil opened the scoring seven minutes before half-time following a slick passing move.

Germany strike again
There were few chances after the break until Özil made the game safe on 70 minutes when he turned in a cross from the left. The result was put beyond doubt a minute later when Moldova's Andrei Cojocari was sent off for elbowing, before Hennings completed the scoring in added time. Germany lead the section with seven points from three games, one more than second-placed Northern Ireland.