Germany stretch winning run under Flick with 2-0 victory over Israel

SINSHEIM, Germany : Germany eased past Israel 2-0 in their friendly international on Saturday, scoring twice in the first half with Kai Havertz and Timo Werner, to make it eight wins in eight matches under coach Hansi Flick.

The Germans, who next face Netherlands in Amsterdam on Tuesday, were missing several players including Joshua Kimmich and Serge Gnabry, and got off to a slow start.

They had little trouble reaching their opponents' box but struggled with the last pass.

The hosts' first good chance came on the half-hour mark with Israel keeper Ofir Marciano palming a low Havertz shot wide.

Marciano denied the attacking midfielder again in the 36th, blocking another effort from close range, but the keeper was beaten by Havertz's glancing header from the resulting corner.

Germany went into the break with a two-goal cushion when Havertz's Chelsea team mate Werner flicked in an Ilkay Gundogan free kick in first-half stoppage time.

A number of substitutions in the second half took much of the pace out of the game and Thomas Mueller missed a chance to score when his 89th-minute penalty hit the woodwork.

Israel missed their own chance to cut the deficit when Germany's Kevin Trapp saved Yonathan Cohen's stoppage-time spot kick.

Flick, who took over after last year's European Championship, continued his winning start, with his team focusing on peaking during the World Cup in Qatar in November.

(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; editing by Clare Fallon)