That's all from Yerevan today, so thank you for joining us and goodbye!
Armenia ultimately finish fourth in the group despite their promising start, with North Macedonia making the play-offs instead. The wait for a first Armenian World Cup adventure rolls on, but Germany will be back among the favourites for Qatar 2022.
A typically clinical performance by Germany meant they made light work of their faltering last opponents in the World Cup qualifying process. Gundogan's brace helped them to a three-goal margin of victory and a tally of 36 goals from 10 games. Armenia's resistance was breached time and again by an industrious Germany, missing several of their stars, and Flick's men can now prepare for the finals in 12 months' time.
90' + 2' FULL-TIME: ARMENIA 1-4 GERMANY
90' The game starts petering out, with the ball slowly being shifted around in midfield. The clock is ticking down towards Germany's ninth win out of 10 in Group J.
88' An ambitious throughball from Tah almost finds Havertz free high up on the left, but he cannot get a touch on the ball and it runs frustratingly out of play.
86' Nmecha has a speculative shot blocked by Haroyan on the edge of the area, as Germany press for a fifth goal.
A. Grigoryan
S. Udo
84' Udo is substituted for Armenia, with Grigoryan coming on in his place for the final few minutes.
R. Baku
J. Hofmann
84' Having impressed today, Hofmann is now replaced by Baku on the right side of the German XI.
82' Nmecha does well to surge into the area on the right-hand side, but his sharp cutback finds Volland flat-footed and zips away from danger.
80' Armenia's intermittent counter-attacking threat has now died out completely, and the home side are sitting deep inside their defensive third in hope of avoiding a heavier margin of defeat.
78' After the arrival of some fresh legs for the away side, Germany have renewed their commitment to attack. With a low effort from outside the area, Arnold has his shot saved at the second attempt by Buchnev.
N. Grigoryan
H. Mkhitaryan
76' Armenia's talisman Mkhitaryan has made his last contribution to the match, as Grigoryan replaces the Roma man for the final 15 minutes.
74' Raum's left-sided corner is too deep, but when the ball is returned to the wing-back, his low cross finds Volland. However, the recent substitute can only swipe at the ball and it dribbles harmlessly towards goal.
K. Volland
F. Neuhaus
73' Following an industrious shift in midfield, Neuhaus is taken off and Volland comes on to join the German attack.
72' A heavy deflection off Hofmann's leg prevents Brandt's effort from 20 yards from finding the target, and the ball bounces away for a goal kick to Armenia.
70' Germany overplay when in a promising position, and when the ball is then recycled, Neuhaus pokes a weak shot straight into the goalkeeper's grateful hands.
N. Briasco
S. Adamyan
69' After a largely fruitless match, Adamyan comes off and Briasco replaces him up front.
L. Zelarayán
K. Bayramyan
69' Despite a lively showing on the left, Bayramyan makes way and Zelarayan is brought on by Caparros.
M. Arnold
Yellow Card
67' Shortly after his arrival as a substitute, Arnold is booked for a crunching tackle on Mkhitaryan in midfield.
J. Hofmann
Goal
64' FOUR FOR GERMANY! The visitors restore their three-goal advantage, as Mkhitaryan errs inside his own half, allowing Hofmann to skip free on the right and steer a shot past Buchnev and into the back of the net. Armenia 1-4 Germany!
62' Havertz has a left-footed attempt from the right side of the box, which misses to the right of the Armenian goal.
J. Brandt
L. Sané
60' After failing to add to his qualification goal tally, Sane is spared the final half-hour and Brandt comes on in his place.
L. Nmecha
T. Müller
60' Flick responds to conceding a goal by making some changes, with captain Muller making way for young Wolfsburg striker Nmecha.
H. Mkhitaryan
Penalty Goal
59' ARMENIA HAVE ONE BACK! Mkhitaryan places his penalty high into the top right corner, giving Ter Stegen no chance to save it. Armenia have pulled it back to 3-1, but there's still a long way back from here.
F. Neuhaus
Yellow Card
58' For conceding the penalty with a mistimed challenge, Neuhaus is booked by the referee.
56' PENALTY! Mkhitaryan is involved in a one-two on the edge of the area, causing Neuhaus to concede a penalty for making contact with Terteryan!
54' Armenia enjoy a short spell of pressure, during which Bayramyan breaks past Raum and fires a shot into the side-netting from the left side of the penalty area.
52' Gundogan celebrates his fifth goal in the qualifying campaign, equalling Werner and Gnabry as Germany's joint-top scorers on the road to Qatar.
T. Müller
Assist
50' Muller was involved in the build-up for Germany's third goal, as he slipped the ball to Gundogan to try a speculative 20-yard strike.
İ. Gündoğan
Goal
50' GUNDOGAN AT THE DOUBLE! A relatively tame attempt low in the centre of the goal by Gundogan somehow evades the grasp of Buchnev, who fumbles the ball over the line to gift Germany a third goal. 3-0 to the Germans!
47' A sharp turn in the box allows Havertz to evade Haroyan, but the Germany forward slashes across his shot, which spins wide of the right-hand post.
46' We are back under way at the Republican Stadium!
Despite the campaign being destined to go down in folklore for their humbling home defeat to North Macedonia, Germany are on course to take 27 points from a possible 30 in Group J if they see out this one-sided affair. Under Flick, surely they can contend for the game's greatest prize again, some eight years after they last lifted the World Cup.
There have been no surprises in Yerevan today, as Germany have set out to complete their qualification journey in the relentless manner they've maintained since their disappointing Euro 2020 exit. Gundogan's constant prompting from midfield was rewarded by a goal late on in the first half, while Hofmann has proved a threat on the right flank throughout. Apart from a few flickers on the counter, Armenia have offered little going forward and will be focused on damage limitation after the break.
45' + 5' HALF-TIME: ARMENIA 0-2 GERMANY
İ. Gündoğan
Penalty Goal
45' + 4' GERMANY GO TWO UP! Cool as ever, Gundogan steps up to roll the ball home from 12 yards; steering his shot into the bottom-right corner of the net. Germany deservedly lead 2-0!
T. Voskanyan
Yellow Card
45' + 3' For fouling Neuhaus when clean through on goal, Voskanyan not only concedes a penalty but is also shown the game's first yellow card.
45' PENALTY TO GERMANY! After a prolonged review, the referee decides that Voskanyan did not make enough contact with the ball and his felling of Neuhaus means Germany have a penalty!
43' PENALTY? Just eight yards out in the centre of the area, Voskanyan brings down Neuhaus with a desperate late challenge. After a brief VAR assessment, the referee is asked to consult the pitchside monitor.
41' Indicating their supremacy in all departments so far, Germany have won nearly two-thirds of the duels in today's game and have also completed more than three times as many passes as their Armenian hosts.
39' Another Armenia counter is extinguished when Tah gets his foot on a cross from the right, and Adamyan leans too heavily on Ginter as they compete for the dropping ball in the area. It's a free-kick to Germany.
37' Muller's lofted pass from the right side of the area just evades a trio of late-arriving white shirts and drifts out harmlessly for a goal kick to Armenia.
36' Some brief excitement arises among the home fans, as Spertsyan stumbles through into the German area, but he loses his footing and a chance to get off a rare shot at goal goes by.
34' Germany are denied a third consecutive corner, after the referee misses a heavy deflection on a ball which ultimately goes out for a goal kick.
32' Calisir concedes a corner, but Hofmann's cross is cleared away to relative safety. Muller then regains the ball and earns another chance from the corner spot.
30' Seeking a seventh today, Flick became the first German manager to win his first six games in charge of Die Nationalelf following Thursday's 9-0 destruction of lowly Liechtenstein. After today's opener, Germany have now netted 33 times and conceded just three throughout the qualification process.
28' An ambitious 30-yard free-kick attempt by Sane sails high over the bar and into the vast unoccupied area between fans and pitch at the Republican Stadium.
26' Armenia's first attempt on goal comes after a quick counter, but Spertsyan places his shot over the crossbar with Ter Stegen watching on.
25' CLOSE! Hofmann is involved in the build-up once again, as he finds Sane free on the edge of the box, and the German winger sees his low shot saved by the busy Buchnev low down to his right.
23' At the midpoint of the first half, Germany have enjoyed 77 per cent of possession so far, and the game continues to be played predominantly in the Armenian half.
21' Sane cannot adjust his stride quickly enough to get a clean contact on a delightful lofted pass from Gundogan, and proceeds to shin a presentable scoring chance straight into the goalkeeper's gloves.
19' Buchnev makes a flamboyant intervention with his fist, to stop Muller's inswinging cross from dropping into the danger zone. The goalkeeper then reacts well to claim the ball down low from the resulting corner.
17' Sane is twice involved in chances to create a second goal inside the Armenia area, but is denied on both occasions, as Germany continue to press on in wave after wave of attacks.
J. Hofmann
Assist
15' Easily evading Margaryan's attentions on the touchline, Hofmann sprinted clear to cut the ball back into the centre for Havertz to score.
K. Havertz
Goal
15' GERMANY LEAD! Hofmann makes the most of some space on the right and charges to the byline, from where he cuts a low cross back for Havertz to slot home the game's opening goal from close range. This could be a long night for Armenia! Germany go 1-0 up!
13' Tah steps in to make a sharp interception deep inside the Germany half, then strides forward purposefully, but his throughball is just cut out before reaching the forwards.
11' A quick Neuhaus switch of play finds Muller on the right side of the area, but the Bayern man cannot control closely enough with his chest and the danger is cleared.
9' Too eager to regain possession just outside the Armenia area, Germany captain Muller brings down Spertsyan and concedes a free-kick.
8' As expected, Germany are the dominant force so far, and it looks as though Armenia have settled into a five-man rearguard in hope of keeping their illustrious visitors at bay.
6' Armenia debutant Buchnev gathers the ball ahead of a lurking Havertz, following a cross from Muller out wide on the right.
4' OFF THE POST! Sane's pace shreds the Armenian defence, taking advantage of a slip, and his pass finds Havertz inside the area, but the Chelsea forward's attempt clips the outside edge of the left post and goes behind. An early warning for Armenia!
2' In the first action of note, Muller has a right-footed shot from the centre of the box saved comfortably by Buchnev.
1' We are under way in the Armenian capital!
The players are out on the pitch in Yerevan, with kick-off now just moments away!
Remarkably, Germany arrived in Yerevan hoping to extend a 17-game winning streak away from home in World Cup qualifying, while their first Group J meeting with Armenia back in September resulted in a thumping 6-0 victory. By contrast, though Joaquin Caparros' side started the process with three wins from their first three games, they have since let that momentum ebb away and are now winless in their last six qualifiers.
Germany will kick off with a depleted squad, due to Niklas Sule's positive test for COVID-19 forcing the Bayern Munich defender into quarantine, while his club-mates Joshua Kimmich, Serge Gnabry and Jamal Musiala - along with RB Salzburg's Karim Adeyemi - were identified as close contacts so also continue to self-isolate. Furthermore, Timo Werner misses out through injury, but Kai Havertz can return to the XI after serving a suspension. The visitors will meet some familiar faces today, as Hoffenheim's Sargis Adamyan leads the line for Armenia, and ex-Borussia Dortmund playmaker Henrikh Mkhitaryan starts as his chief support.
SUBS: Bernd Leno, Kevin Trapp, Julian Brandt, Ridle Baku, Maximilian Arnold, Lukas Nmecha, Kevin Volland, Christian Gunter.
GERMANY (3-4-3): Marc-Andre ter Stegen; Thilo Kehrer, Jonathan Tah, Matthias Ginter; David Raum, Ilkay Gundogan, Florian Neuhaus, Jonas Hofmann; Leroy Sane, Thomas Muller, Kai Havertz.
ARMENIA (4-4-1-1): Stanislav Buchnev; Taron Voskanyan, Andre Calisir, David Terteryan, Varazdat Haroyan; Solomon Udo, Eduard Spertsyan, Zhirayr Margaryan, Khoren Bayramyan; Henrikh Mkhitaryan; Sargis Adamyan.
A crushing 5-0 defeat to North Macedonia last Thursday leaves Armenia's hopes of reaching a first major finals in tatters, as they now find themselves two points behind Romania and three behind the Macedonians with one game to play. Their far inferior goal difference is set to see them come up short, then, even if they pull off a shock win and results elsewhere go their way.
The 2014 world champions have already confirmed qualification for Qatar 2022, and are today seeking a ninth win from 10 games. Indeed, Hansi Flick's side are nine points clear at the top of Group J following the penultimate round, while their hosts need a miracle to claim second spot and an improbable place in the play-offs.
Hello and welcome to live coverage of Armenia v Germany in the final round of World Cup qualifying Group J, at Yerevan's Republican Stadium!
Commentary