Germany ease past Ecuador & top group

Germany recorded a third straight win to finish top of World Cup group A with their Polish connection of Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski gunning down a weakened Ecuador 3-0 here on Tuesday. Both teams had already qualified for the last 16 of the competition but Germany go into the second round with wind in their sails, and know this victory may have avoided a potential clash against old foe England in the knockout stage.

Ecuador, who needed just a draw to top the group, had not conceded a goal at the finals but Polish-born forward Klose needed just four minutes to change that, drilling in after a smart cut-back from Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Shortly before the interval Klose raced onto a chipped pass from captain Michael Ballack to bag his second goal and his fourth of the finals. He is now the tournament's top-scorer.

Podolski then struck his first ever World Cup goal on 57 minutes, sliding in a Bernd Schneider cross.

Hosts Germany will play their second-round match in Munich on June 24.

As it stands they will play Sweden but if England lost to Swedes in a match beginning at 1900 GMT then Germany will face their arch-rivals England.

Trinidad and Tobago also have an outside chance of facing Germany but must beat Paraguay convincingly and hope England help them by beating Sweden.

Ecuador will play in Stuttgart on June 25 against the group B winner - either England or Sweden.

Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann showed how seriously he was taking this match by making just one change with Robert Huth drafted in for the injured Christoph Metzelder.

As expected skipper Ballack was in the starting line-up despite being a yellow card away from missing last 16 tie.

In contrast Ecuador coach Luis Suarez made five changes, omitting captain Ivan Hurtado, who was carrying a caution, and star striker Agustin Delgado.

It showed as Ecuador looked disjointed and the bulk of the 72,000 fans at the Olympic Stadium were up celebrating after four minutes as Klose, who scored five goals at the 2002 World Cup, found the net.

The German Player of the Year then scored a second close to half-time to effectively end the match.

Podolski stretched Germany's lead in the second half and it could have been much more.

The German fans at the Olympic Stadium chanted their coach's name and cried 'final, final' but there is a long way to go before the final here on July 9.