Marco Reus scored two first-half goals and Germany poured in four more after the break to sweep aside Ireland 6-1 Friday in a World Cup qualifier.
The Borussia Dortmund winger put the visitors in control by scoring in the 32nd and 40th minutes to silence the crowd at Dublin's sold-out Aviva Stadium.
Germany turned it into a rout in the second half, scoring four more as the boos rained down on the Irish.
Andy Keogh's injury-time header from a corner provided Ireland's lone goal. That saved Ireland from suffering its worst home defeat in history, instead equaling the margin of its 5-0 loss in 1931 versus Spain.
''We were very well organized. We moved the ball well. We had the right balance. But the opponent of course also did not seem to have much to offer,'' said Germany coach Joachim Loew.
Ireland was without a half-dozen injured starters including striker Robbie Keane and barely tested Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer as it struggled for possession against the faster, better-organized Germans.
''It's a massive humiliation at home,'' said Irish captain John O'Shea. ''We gave them a helping hand with lots of the goals. There's a way to lose ... and that wasn't a way to lose a game.''
The lopsided loss heaped pressure on Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni, who has faced growing criticism following his squad's wretched performance at the European Championship this summer.
''We played 30 minutes with good balance. After their first goal they became superior in strength and technically. We were unable to contain them in midfield,'' said Trapattoni, who blamed his side's injuries for the result.
The win put Germany on top of Group C with nine points from three matches. Ireland remained third with three points after two matches.
Reus was inexplicably denied a penalty in the 30th minute when he pickpocketed O'Shea and was then pulled down in the box by the Sunderland defender. Instead Reus was shown a yellow card for diving.
Two minutes later, justice was served. Bastian Schweinsteiger fired a looping ball into the box, Marcel Schmelzer jumped to control it on his chest, but it bounced away and rolled past three Irish defenders to Reus. He chipped his shot back across the goal into the top left corner.
Germany pounced again after Irish right back Shane Coleman was dispossessed in midfield. Jerome Boateng crossed the ball across the edge of the Irish box to an unmarked Reus. He used his weaker left foot to drive a 20-yard laser into the far corner past `keeper Kieren Westwood.
Germany's third goal came in the 55th minute after Darren O'Dea tackled Miroslav Klose from behind in the box. Mesut Ozil took the penalty, his sly stutter-step sending Westwood to the ground before his strike.
Klose then scored a highlight-reel goal. He outpaced the sluggish O'Dea to the right of the box, forced an onrushing Westwood to the ground, then - out of space and about to cross the goal line - he sent a soft, sidefooted shot from a seemingly impossible angle into the far corner of the empty goal.
It was Klose's 65th goal in 125 matches for Germany, leaving him three behind Germany's all-time top scorer Gerd Mueller.
Substitute Toni Kroos accounted for Germany's two final goals.
Kroos volleyed an O'Shea header straight back into the Irish net in the 61st. And the dispirited Irish defense failed to close him down in the 83rd, allowing him space for a powerful 25-yard shot that crashed home just inside the near post.
Neuer had to make his first difficult save in the 91st minute, diving to save Keogh's low close-range strike. But from the resulting corner, Keogh was left unmarked near the far post and scored with a header.
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AP Sports Writer Nesha Starcevic in Frankfurt, Germany, contributed to this report.
