Germany beat Australia 3-2 in their Confederations Cup opener at Fisht Stadium in Sochi courtesy of goals from Lars Stindl, Julian Draxler and Leon Goretzka.
Stindl opened the scoring early on with a tidy finish after some good work from Julian Brandt, but the Asian Cup holders somewhat surprisingly restored parity shortly before the break when some poor goalkeeping from Bernd Leno allowed Tom Rogic to net.
The world champions, however, were back in front just three minutes later as Draxler converted a penalty, with Goretzka adding a third early in the second half.
Tomi Juric ensured an exciting finish to the game when he pulled one back in the 56th minute - the goal awarded following the latest Video Assistant Referee (VAR) referral - but Australia lacked the individual quality to genuinely worry an experimental Germany.
Germany made a strong start to the game and needed just five minutes to edge ahead via Stindl, the Borussia Monchengladbach man finding the net with a calm finish from inside the area after a great run down the right from Brandt. The Germans were fortunate not to concede when the unmarked Trent Sainsbury headed wide from close range after a free-kick, but they had no such luck in the 41st minute when Rogic levelled after all with a half-volley from the edge of the box, Leno failing to keep out the Celtic man's attempt.
Australia's joy did not last long, though, as Draxler restored Germany's lead, coolly dispatching a penalty after Massimo Luongo had clumsily hacked down Goretzka inside the area.
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