Borussia Dortmund must put their Champions League heartbreak behind them when they attempt to secure a club record ninth consecutive Bundesliga win in the 100th Revierderby against Schalke.

Edin Terzic's side crashed out of Europe's premier club competition in the round-of-16 when they were beaten 2-0 at Chelsea on Tuesday, having won the first leg 1-0.

That ended Dortmund's run of 10 consecutive victories and they felt hard done by, as referee Danny Makkelie allowed Kai Havertz to retake a decisive penalty due to encroachment and he made no mistake after missing his first attempt.

Dortmund must turn their attention back to the battle for the Bundesliga title and resuming their rivalry with relegation-threatened Schalke at the VELTINS-Arena on Saturday, when Marco Reus could make history.

Level on points with Bayern Munich at the top of the table, Dortmund have the opportunity to take their frustration out on the Royal Blues.

Stats Perform picks out the standout Opta data for the big derby.

From Champions League misery to cloud nine?

Dortmund have been licking their wounds since the pain of being consigned to a Champions League exit at Stamford Bridge.

They have no time to feel sorry for themselves, with so much at stake as they strive to dethrone Bayern.

Dortmund could win a club record ninth top-flight game in a row this weekend, having matched their best run with a 2-1 victory over RB Leipzig.

They have previously won eight in a row between 2011 and 2012, then again two years ago. 

Reus can go out on his way

Dortmund stalwart Reus is one goal away from becoming the outright record scorer for the club after he was on target against Leipzig.

That strike was his 159th for the club in all competitions, drawing him level with Michael Zorc.

Reus has been struggling with a cold, so it remains to be seen if he gets the chance to go out on his own in the home of Dortmund's rivals.

The skipper has had a hand in at least one goal in each of his past three Bundesliga games, scoring twice and setting two up.

Derby delight a distant memory for Schalke

Schalke have not only lost their past four encounters with Dortmund, but also failed to score in five matches against their rivals.

The last time they found the back of the Dortmund net was in April 2019, when they celebrated a 4-2 away victory after Reus and Marius Wolf were sent off.

Youssoufa Moukoko scored the only goal of the game when they met in September and Dortmund ran riot when they last travelled to Schalke, Erling Haaland scoring twice in a 4-0 rout just over two years ago – their joint-highest win over the Royal Blues.

Dortmund have only previously won four consecutive games against Schalke when they went on to beat them eight times in a row between 1964 and 1967.

Schalke fighting for their lives

The Royal Blues are battling to avoid relegation after securing promotion back to the top flight last season.

They are making a fight of it under Thomas Reis, securing back-to-back wins over fellow strugglers Stuttgart and Bochum to haul themselves off the bottom of the table.

Schalke had reeled off four goalless draws on the spin before defeating Stuttgart and they are unbeaten in the first six games of the second half of Bundesliga season for the first time since 2006.

This will be a battle between the only unbeaten sides in the second half of the season.

Edin Terzic praised his team's defensive fortitude after Borussia Dortmund equalled a club record by securing an eighth consecutive Bundesliga victory with a 2-1 win over title rivals RB Leipzig, and a 10th overall.

Dortmund headed into Friday's game second to Bayern Munich only on goal difference after an imperious run of form since the return of domestic football following the Qatar World Cup.

Meanwhile, Leipzig, led by former Dortmund boss Marco Rose, were four points off top spot themselves and looking to move within striking distance of the top two.

After Julian Brandt had seen a goal ruled out for offside for the hosts, captain Marco Reus scored from the spot after being felled by Leipzig goalkeeper Janis Blaswich to put Dortmund ahead and move into second on the club's all-time goalscoring list.

Emre Can then saw a shot from the edge of the box somehow find its way in to give his team a commanding 2-0 lead at the break.

Leipzig improved after the break though and halved the deficit when Emil Forsberg slid in to turn David Raum's cross into the net, setting up a grandstand finish.

Rose's men piled on the pressure, and an incredible goal-saving block was needed from Nico Schlotterbeck to deny Timo Werner's powerful goal-bound effort in the dying seconds as Dortmund saw the game out for three points to move top, with Bayern not playing until Saturday when they face Stuttgart.

Terzic was delighted after watching his team's last-ditch defending pay off, telling DAZN: "That was an absolutely top game, we're very happy.

"We played very well in the first half, in the second half we defended passionately. We saved it over the line, it wasn't easy to score a goal against us today."

Reus was relieved to pick up a 10th straight win in all competitions despite Dortmund's low-key second-half display, saying: "In the second half we didn't manage to keep the ball, to get more solutions, that wasn't so good anymore. 

"But we're very happy to have won the 10th competitive game in a row. In the end, I'd rather win than play well and lose. It's all about hard work, we've shown that in the past few weeks and today."

Rose was frustrated by the loss after a much-improved performance in the second half, explaining: "The result is difficult to accept, the second half clearly went to us. 

"Dortmund were very efficient. It was a decent game from us at the back, I didn't feel like we were clearly inferior. Over 90 minutes, it's hard to accept losing a game like that."

Marco Reus fired red-hot Borussia Dortmund into a three-way tie at the top of the Bundesliga and declared: "We want to keep riding this wave."

The captain was restored to Dortmund's starting line-up on Sunday after sitting out the midweek Champions League win over Chelsea, taking over from Jude Bellingham who dropped to the bench and handed over the armband.

Reus hit a stunning free-kick for Dortmund's third goal in a 4-1 win over Hertha Berlin, thrilling a crowd of 81,365 at Signal Iduna Park, with Karim Adeyemi, Donyell Malen and Julian Brandt also on the scoresheet.

Bellingham came on as a second-half substitute and achieved his 50th Bundesliga victory. At 19 years and 235 days old, it made the England midfielder the youngest player to ever reach that landmark. There could be plenty more to celebrate this season for the teenager.

The only real negative for Dortmund was a leg muscle injury Adeyemi sustained when setting up the second goal for Malen, with the forward likely to be absent for several weeks.

Dortmund have won all eight of their games since the German season resumed after the World Cup and winter break, powering into a tie for top spot having looked out of the title race just a matter of weeks ago.

"Before the winter break, nobody expected it to be so tight at the top of the table," Reus said. "We started a run that we continued today. We want to continue riding this wave, and in the end you will see what comes of it."

Union Berlin are the surprise package in the three-team group at the summit. Opta records show this is the first time in the three-points-for-a-win era, which began in 1995-96, that three teams have been tied on points at the top after matchday 21 in the Bundesliga.

Speaking to DAZN, Reus said: "You win, but you also can't give an inch, otherwise it will be difficult. We don't play the stars from the sky, we are effective. When I scored my free-kick, I realised as soon as the ball left my foot that it could be dangerous.

"I'm happy that after a long time I was able to score a free-kick goal again."

It was a first direct free-kick goal for Reus in the Bundesliga since he scored one against Bayer Leverkusen in May 2021, which itself came after a five-year wait.

The strike came shortly after Bellingham entered the fray, with Dortmund pulling away over the closing quarter.

Union missed a chance to take the outright lead in the title race, only managing a 0-0 draw at home against bottom side Schalke earlier on Sunday.

Bayern hold top spot thanks to their superior goal difference (plus 40), with Dortmund second and Union third, but it is clear this is now a proper title scrap.

The momentum is with Dortmund, given Bayern were beaten 3-2 at Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday.

A Klassiker awaits in six weeks' time, when there could be plenty at stake.

Goalscorer Brandt said: "We still have a long way to go, but it's the same for Union and Bayern. We fought our way out of our situation before the winter break extremely well. I'm most happy today for Marco Reus, who scored a wonderful goal."

Dortmund coach Edin Terzic will wait to see how Adeyemi comes through tests on his injury, but the prospects of him returning soon look minimal.

"He probably won't be available to us for the next few games," Terzic said, "but we hope that it won't be too long before he can be back."

Sebastien Haller never feared he would be forced to retire and wants to return to action "as quickly as possible".

The Ivory Coast striker joined Borussia Dortmund from Ajax ahead of this season but is yet to feature for the Bundesliga side after discovering a malignant tumour during pre-season testing in July.

Haller underwent two surgeries and chemotherapy, with Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke stating the striker could return after the mid-season break.

The 28-year-old was present as Dortmund returned to training for the first time after the World Cup last week, although he was being "carefully introduced".

In comments to the media on Monday, Haller said: "I want to play as quickly as possible. There are no limits and restrictions on my involvement unless the medical staff tell me otherwise.

"[Returning is the] best feeling I could have. I didn't know what the future will bring, but I focused every day on staying fit.

"I can do everything now that I used to do before; that gives me great confidence.

"I took only 19 days off in the six months. It was hard, but it's my job and I love it."

Haller – who scored 34 goals in 43 games for Ajax last season before joining Dortmund for a reported €34.5million fee – also said he had never had concerns about his career coming to a premature end.

"[Retiring] was never on my mind," he said. "I had the mindset of looking forward and taking every day at a time. It was harder for my family, they suffered a lot because they didn't feel in control. They helped me a lot."

Also speaking at a press conference, Haller's Dortmund team-mate Marco Reus was delighted they could welcome the striker back into the fold ahead of the resumption of the Bundesliga season later this month.

"You can probably tell by my laughter, but it gives me goosebumps that he's back on the field," Reus told reporters. "I don't think he needs to say much at all, we were just so happy to have him back.

"I think we all took our hats off to the fight he put up and, above all, that he came back with a strength, with a mental strength that's really strong, and you can see it every day.

"He trains with us all the way; of course, he has a bit of catching up to do, but he pulls it off completely, and it's just a lot of fun to be back on the pitch with him, because of course he gives us a new alternative in the long run, which we perhaps don't have in our game yet.

"And that's why we're all doing well to stay calm, of course, and just give him a little bit of time until he finds his rhythm. That's going to take a little bit of time, but first and foremost just being healthy and playing what he feels most like playing."

On his own future, Reus also addressed recent rumours he will link up with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia at the end of the season when his contract at Dortmund expires.

"I have a consultant to sort these things out," he said. "For me, it's just important that I stay in good health, that I do the complete training camp, do the games, and the rest you'll just really see in the future. But as I said, I have my advisor for that.

"Of course, you look ahead. And of course, I still have half a year left on my contract, and if I didn't worry about that, then it would be wrong.

"But actually, right now, I'm just happy to be back on the pitch and to be with the team. I mean, we are in sixth place and we really have other things to do right now. And that's where the focus is right now.

"Everything else will simply be decided in the next few weeks and months, and then we'll see in which direction it goes."

Giovanni Reyna is expected to return to action within 10 days despite suffering a muscle strain on international duty, handing the United States a welcome boost ahead of the World Cup.

Reyna was substituted during the first half of the USA's goalless draw with Saudi Arabia earlier this week, after which it was revealed he had suffered from "muscle tightness".

His exit from that match – his country's final friendly ahead of November's trip to Qatar – set alarm bells ringing, particularly given Reyna missed much of last season with similar muscle injuries.

But Borussia Dortmund head coach Edin Terzic moved to allay fears of another long-term absence on Thursday, stating: "Gio has a strain and will be out for seven to 10 days. We hope he is available to play following the Sevilla game on Wednesday."

Terzic was also able to offer a positive update on Marco Reus' fitness after the BVB captain was injured in a 1-0 win over local rivals Schalke earlier this month.

"In Marco Reus' case, the injury is fortunately not as bad as first feared," Terzic added. "We hope he will be able to slowly ease his way back into team training after the weekend." 

Dortmund have won five and lost two of their first seven Bundesliga games this campaign to trail surprise leaders Union Berlin by two points.

Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl allayed fears Marco Reus could miss the World Cup after the forward sustained an ankle injury against Schalke.

Reus' struggles with injuries are well-documented, and it appeared he had suffered another devastating blow when he came off the field on a stretcher in the first half of Saturday's Revierderby.

The initial outlook for Reus, who was in tears as he left the pitch, was not positive, with Dortmund head coach Edin Terzic telling Sky Sport after the game: "It looks as if the ligaments were injured. Of course, he was very disappointed and was in a lot of pain."

Reus was absent from Germany's victorious 2014 World Cup campaign with another ankle injury, but Kehl is confident he will be fit for the upcoming edition in Qatar.

"It was a shock for us, too, but I can give a little 'all clear'," he told SPORT1. "The examinations showed no fracture, just a lateral ligament injury at the ankle.

"[It is] not so difficult that the World Cup is in danger."

Reus was making his 250th Bundesliga appearance for Dortmund on Saturday, and BVB earned a 1-0 win over their bitter rivals in his absence.

Youssoufa Moukoko's winner – making him the youngest Revierderby goalscorer at 17 years old – gave Dortmund four wins in a row in this fixture for the first time since a run of eight between 1964 and 1967.

Marco Reus faces a desperate wait to learn whether his Qatar 2022 World Cup ambitions are over after suffering suspected ankle ligament damage.

The Germany forward sustained the blow on Bundesliga duty with Borussia Dortmund in the derby against Schalke on Saturday, having to be stretchered off the pitch during the first half.

His pain was apparent, and with Germany's World Cup opener against Japan less than two months away, Reus may struggle to recover full fitness in time.

Dortmund head coach Edin Terzic said Reus felt "severe pain", while match-winner Youssoufa Moukoko said he would "hope and pray" his team-mate recovers soon.

"There is no one I talk to more often than our team doctor at the moment," Terzic said. "Today it hit our captain. It is extremely bitter, it was extremely unfortunate. Marco injured his ankle.

"I was only able to speak to him briefly at half-time. Then he was in severe pain. How badly the ligaments are injured, we can't answer yet. It's a shame because Marco was in excellent form, he was in great shape and played great."

Reus was named in Germany boss Hansi Flick's latest squad on Thursday ahead of Nations League games against Hungary and England.

Flick will be concerned by the prospect of losing the 33-year-old, who has won 48 international caps.

That would be particularly cruel for Reus, given he missed out on Germany's 2014 World Cup triumph after suffering an ankle injury in a warm-up game for that tournament. Another injury blow, to his groin, forced Reus out of Euro 2016.

"He has experienced so many setbacks in his career," said Terzic. "We had hoped that he would finally be through with it, especially now in the World Cup year. We hope it's not as serious as it looked."

Moukoko, the 17-year-old whose winner against Schalke made him the youngest Bundesliga scorer in the history of the Revierderby, dedicated his goal to Reus.

He told German broadcaster Sky Sport: "When Marco is on the pitch you feel better, you have the confidence, and I just hope and pray it's not that bad."

Youssoufa Moukoko became the youngest ever scorer in a Bundesliga Revierderby as his powerful header gave Borussia Dortmund a 1-0 win against Schalke.

At just 17 years and 301 days, it was the prodigious teenager who was the match-winner on Saturday at Signal Iduna Park, taking Dortmund top of the league.

His decisive intervention came in the 79th minute, to ensure the Black and Yellow's dominant efforts were not in vain against their stubborn visitors.

Coupled with Bayern Munich's surprise loss to Augsburg, the result sent Edin Terzic's men to the summit, albeit with fellow early high-flyers Union Berlin and Freiburg still to play this weekend.

The result also helped Dortmund to their longest winning streak against Schalke in over half a century, with four wins on the trot now, having previously achieved eight on the bounce between 1964 and 1967.

It did not come without a cost, however, after captain Marco Reus was stretchered off in the first half, in a potentially significant blow for Dortmund and Germany with the Qatar 2022 World Cup on the horizon.

Marco Reus is confident Borussia Dortmund have left last season's poor Champions League campaign firmly in the past.

Dortmund failed to make it out of their group last season, despite having one of Europe's most prolific forwards in the form of Erling Haaland.

Having started with successive wins over Besiktas and Sporting CP, BVB lost three games straight, including a 4-0 defeat to Ajax in Amsterdam.

A 5-0 rout of Besiktas in December was only enough to secure a play-off place for the Europa League last 16, and they lost to eventual finalists Rangers over two legs.

Dortmund get this season's Champions League campaign started with a home game against Copenhagen on Tuesday – it will be the first competitive meeting between the sides since 2001.

With four wins from five games to start the Bundesliga season, Dortmund are in fine form, and Reus, speaking at a press conference on Monday, is sure there is no lingering disappointment from last term.

"[It] is no longer an issue for us," said Reus, Dortmund's all-time top scorer in major European competition with 26 goals.

"But it's a new season and every team that is in it has earned it, and Copenhagen have earned it as well. 

"We've got 90 minutes where we want to show that we're a team and we just want to get the season off to a good start. And that equals, hopefully, a win."

Reus' sentiment was echoed by head coach Edin Terzic, who knows Copenhagen – who have never previously lost their first group-stage match in a Champions League campaign – will be no pushovers.

"There is no team in the Champions League that doesn't deserve to be in the Champions League," said Terzic. "Regarding Copenhagen, they are back I think for the first time since 2016.

"They have been fighting for years to be allowed to play on this stage again and accordingly they will want to start this group stage with a lot of passion, a lot of euphoria.

"It doesn't matter against which opponent we would want to play tomorrow. For us, it's all about getting through the group stage successfully and about performing well at home."

Dortmund are competing in the Champions League/European Cup for the 20th time, having played in UEFA's flagship club competition in each of the last seven seasons.

They have never lost to a Danish club in Europe in four previous meetings, while Copenhagen have not beaten German opposition in 10 matches.

Edin Terzic denounced Borussia Dortmund's late implosion as "brutally stupid" after Werder Bremen came from 2-0 behind in the 89th minute to snatch a 3-2 victory in the Bundesliga.

Goals from Julian Brandt and Raphael Guerreiro had put an off-colour Dortmund in charge of Saturday's game and seemingly on course for three points.

However, Werder never gave up hope and pulled a first goal back through Lee Buchanan, with Niklas Schmidt equalising in the third minute of stoppage time and Oliver Burke completing the turnaround with the winner two minutes later.

With the flurry of late goals, Bremen became the first side in the history of the Bundesliga to score three goals in the 89th minute or later in a single match.

Dortmund head coach Terzic said: "You have to honestly say that it was a deserved defeat. We didn't play well, and it was a very poor performance from us, both in the first and in the second half.

"We didn't manage to control the game. The way we conceded goals at the end is brutally stupid, brutally annoying and now we're empty-handed."

Captain Marco Reus was similarly scathing, telling Sky: "I have no idea what happened. Despite being 2-0 up, we didn't have any control over the game, not even over the 90 minutes.

"Then Bremen scored the goal in the 89th minute and came again. But in the end we just didn't play well throughout the game."

Former Bayern Munich and Germany midfielder Dietmar Hamann, working as a Sky pundit, said Werder's victory was "well deserved".

He said of Dortmund: "I have rarely seen them so confused and desolate over 90 minutes."

Bremen head coach Ole Werner savoured the moment, saying: "It was a turbulent game with a better ending for us.

"Of course there's a bit of luck involved in the end. It wasn't undeserved for the 90 minutes. The last few minutes were pure emotions, that was madness. That cannot be explained rationally."

Borussia Dortmund remain "relaxed" over the contract situations of Marco Reus and Mats Hummels, according to sporting director Sebastian Kehl.

Reus and Hummels have both become Dortmund greats after long periods of service, but have just one year remaining on their contracts with the Bundesliga giants.

Since Hummels joined Dortmund – initially on loan – in January 2008, no player has matched his tally of 312 Bundesliga appearances for the club, despite the defender departing for a spell at Bayern Munich between 2016 and 2019.

Reus, meanwhile, is fourth on that list with 243 league appearances, and his 108 Bundesliga goals are the most by any player in that time for BVB.

Both players were part of the squad that reached the 2012-13 Champions League final, a side that also featured current sporting director Kehl. 

Speaking to Sky Sports, Kehl expressed confidence both Germany internationals would pen new deals, saying: "We are relatively relaxed about it. We have a very, very high level of trust. 

"We know that a few contracts will expire next year. And Marco and Mats are very, very important for this club. 

"They have helped shape this club in recent years, they stand for this club and bring an incredibly high level of identification with them: Marco as our captain and Mats as second captain.

"We will discuss this together in due course. We approach it very calmly, we have an incredibly high regard for these two players. 

"I believe that they can also be very relaxed in this situation. Because in the end we all want to be successful. For that we need good performances, for that we need Mats and Marco."

But speaking to Ruhr Nachrichten on Wednesday, Hummels, who started 20 Bundesliga matches during an injury-affected 2021-22 campaign, expressed his belief he must earn any new deal with the club.

"I want to help the team and not just be a weight," the defender said. "I even recently said to sporting director Sebastian Kehl that I wouldn't be renewing with me at the moment."

Dortmund have reinforced their defence with the signings of Nico Schlotterbeck and Niklas Sule.

Borussia Dortmund's Marco Reus became the club's first player in over five years to register five direct goal involvements in a single Bundesliga game, as he starred in Sunday's drubbing of Borussia Monchengladbach.

With leaders Bayern Munich having beat Greuther Furth 4-1 earlier on, Dortmund responded with a 6-0 thrashing of coach Marco Rose's former team at Signal Iduna Park.

It ensured BVB kept within six points of the champions, while also saw them get back on track after Thursday's humbling Europa League defeat to Rangers.

Reus, who had just one shot and failed to create a chance against Rangers, was the star of the show, scoring twice and assisting three other goals against his former team.

The Germany forward, who scored 36 Bundesliga goals for Gladbach before joining Dortmund in 2012, opened the scoring from close range in the 26th minute, before playing in Donyell Malen for BVB's second.

Reus laid it off for Marius Wolf to score two minutes after coming on midway through the second half, before then crossing in for teenager Youssoufa Moukoko to tap home.

The 32-year-old's second goal arrived in the 81st minute, as he finished coolly after latching onto Mats Hummels throughball. Reus could have had a hat-trick when Dortmund were awarded a stoppage-time penalty, but it was Emre Can who stepped up to convert it.

Reus' display marked the first time a Dortmund player has been involved in five goals in a league match since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang did so against Hertha Berlin in November 2016.

It was the 100th Bundesliga meeting between the two sides, with Gladbach having gone into the match on the back of two wins over Dortmund from their last two encounters.

Marco Reus has labelled Borussia Dortmund's heavy 5-2 defeat at home to Bayer Leverkusen "a catastrophic day" for the club.

The sides traded early own goals, but Dortmund were 3-1 down by the 28th minute and then conceded twice more in the second half before Steffen Tigges' late consolation.

After six wins in a row in this fixture, BVB were beaten at home by Leverkusen for the first time since 2014 and conceded five at home to their North Rhine-Westphalia rivals for the first time ever; Leverkusen had never previously netted more than three in Dortmund.

Dortmund actually matched Leverkusen in terms of expected goals, with both teams creating chances worth 1.86 xG, but Reus was not looking for excuses.

Although his side remain second in the Bundesliga, they are now nine points behind leaders Bayern Munich.

"It's a catastrophic day for us," Reus told Sky Sports. "We didn't get into the game well and were a step too late in every situation. We then [allowed] counter-attacks,  even though we agreed before the game that that's their strength. We will be punished for that. It was just not enough today.

"We simply didn't implement the guidelines we prepared [before] the game for two weeks and worked on a lot. We always say the same thing and then have to bring it onto the pitch. We didn't manage that today. A very bitter day, we didn't deserve [to win] today. It was really, really bad overall."

Hansi Flick believes everyone is clamouring to play for Germany after he continued his fine start to life as head coach with a crushing 9-0 win over 10-man Liechtenstein in World Cup qualifying on Thursday.

Germany were in cruise control following Jens Hofer's early red card, with Ilkay Gundogan, Leroy Sane and Marco Reus adding to a Daniel Kaufmann own goal to put Die Mannschaft 4-0 up at half-time.

Sane added a fifth early in the second period, while a brace from Thomas Muller, a fine Ridle Baku strike and an own goal from Maximilian Goppel sealed the rout late on.

The result meant Flick became the first Germany head coach to win his first six matches in charge, taking the record outright from former boss Joachim Low.

And former Bayern Munich coach Flick said his job is made easier by the desire of Germany's stars to secure a spot in his first-choice XI.

"Of course I'm satisfied," he told RTL. "The atmosphere was just fantastic. That was the third home game we had like that. The team and the fans, that's a good combination.

"We are happy about the quality, everyone wants to join this team, that makes it easy for us.

"It is extremely important that everyone goes along with the way we want to play, and that's the impression we have."

Germany, whose progress to next year's World Cup in Qatar had already been secured before the game in Wolfsburg, wrap up their Group J campaign against Armenia on Sunday.

It has been a routine qualification for the 2014 winners, with eight victories from their nine games so far.

Muller, though, said it is important to not get carried away until they have tested themselves against tougher opposition.

"Of course, you always have to put into perspective the fact that we don't have any extremely difficult opponents in our group," he said. "But we always wanted the next and the next goal so it was a great evening."

Reus shared his team-mate's sentiments, adding: "It was just nice, but you can't say how close we are to the top of the world as the opponents weren't at the level we will be challenged at.

"These games are still good because you are able to practice important things. It was fun."

Hansi Flick became the first Germany head coach to win his first six matches in charge after his side crushed Liechtenstein 9-0 in World Cup qualifying Group J on Thursday. 

The former Bayern Munich boss kicked off his reign with a 2-0 win over these opponents in September and always looked like taking the outright record from Joachim Low following Ilkay Gundogan's early penalty, given for a foul which saw a red card issued to Jens Hofer.

Die Mannschaft, whose progress to next year's World Cup in Qatar had already been secured before the game in Wolfsburg, took full advantage of their numerical superiority, racing into a 4-0 half-time lead thanks to a Daniel Kaufmann own goal and strikes from Leroy Sane and Marco Reus. 

Sane added a fifth early in the second period, while a brace from Thomas Muller, a fine Ridle Baku strike and an own goal from Maximilian Goppel sealed a resounding win late on.

Gundogan stroked home from the penalty spot in the 11th minute after Hofer had kicked Leon Goretzka in the throat – an eye-watering challenge that resulted in the defender's dismissal.

Kaufmann prodded into his own net from Christian Gunter's low cross nine minutes later to double Germany's advantage, before Sane coolly slid past Benjamin Buchel after being played in by Goretzka.

Reus then scored a third goal in the space of just three minutes and 31 seconds, the Borussia Dortmund man slotting in after Buchel had made a mess of a deep cross.

Germany picked up where they left off at the start of the second period, Sane claiming his second with a scuffed shot from 10 yards in the 49th minute.

Muller scored with two close-range finishes either side of a superb Baku effort, while the unfortunate Goppel headed into his own net to wrap up the scoring in the 89th minute.