MANCHESTER, England (AP) " With a third straight win in qualifying, defending champion Germany is enjoying a comfortable ride on the road to the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Goals in the first 17 minutes from Julian Draxler and Sami Khedira gave Germany a commanding lead that was never really threatened in Hannover. Joachim Loew tied Sepp Herberger's record of 94 wins as Germany coach and it couldn't be going much better for the world champions' settled team: Three wins from three games, eight goals scored and none conceded. ___GROUP CThe only team close to Germany is Azerbaijan, which settled for a 0-0 draw against the Czech Republic in Ostrava after opening with two wins. In the other match, Norway defeated San Marino 4-1 in Oslo for its first points in qualifying.

Source: New Zealand Herald October 11, 2016 22:41 UTC