Moscow - Germany survived the dismissal of defender Jerome Boateng on his debut to defeat Russia 1-0 in Moscow on Saturday and seal their place at the 2010 World Cup finals. A first-half goal from Miroslav Klose gave Germany the victory they needed for qualification, consigning Guus Hiddink's Russia side to the play-offs for qualification for South Africa.
Germany have 25 points, four ahead of Russia, with one match remaining in Group 4.
Germany had to survive the last 20 minutes with 10 men after Boateng's sending off, and had to thank goalkeeper Rene Adler for a string of fine saves in the second half to keep out the home side.
But it was the focused tactical performance coach Joachim Loew was seeking, particularly in the first half when Klose's close-range goal in the 35th minute proved to be enough.
"I was convinced the whole week we would be very concentrated. I felt everyone had the will to win here and not play for a draw," Loew said.
"Of course I have to say too that we also had a bit of luck in some situations."
The winning goal was well-worked, with Mezut Ozil playing a one-two with Lukas Podolski on the left before cutting the ball back for Klose to finish.
Loew had handed a first cap to Hamburg defender Boateng in a defensive-minded line-up with five midfielders and Klose on his own up front.
Boateng, who had done well shackling Bayern Munich midfielder Franck Ribery in a recent Bundesliga game, helped shore up the right of defence against the threat of Andrei Arshavin.
However the on-form Arsenal midfielder, who had been a major concern for Loew on the artificial pitch at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium, proved hard to pin down as he drifted across the park and became an increasingly influential figure as the game wore on.
Arshavin brilliantly conjured up the best chance on the half hour when he escaped Boateng in midfield, drifted past Simon Rolfes and picked out Vladimir Bystrov who allowed Adler to save with a weak shot.
Five minutes later the Germans punished the home side for the miss when Klose scored his 48th goal for the national side.
No German national team had even played on a synthetic surface but Loew's side looked as much at home as Hiddink's, keeping the 75,000 crowd largely quiet before the break.
Hiddink reacted by bringing on attacking midfielder Dimitry Torbinsky for the second half, with strikers Roman Pavyluchenko and Pavel Pogrebnyak both later also thrown into the fray.
Arshavin had two fierce shots well saved by Adler while Bystrov went close with a spectacular overhead kick within three minutes as Russia stepped up a gear.
Germany immediately hit back with a long-range effort from Ozil which glanced off the top of the bar, but Russia began to threaten with every attack and Germany faced a torrid time when Boateng was sent off for toppling Bystrov outside the area in the 69th minute.
Swiss referee Massimo Busacca had no hesitation showing a second yellow card to the 21-year-old defender who had been booked for a foul on the same player shortly before the break.
Adler again came to the rescue when he parried a Pavlyuchenko shot just wide of the near post after the Tottenham striker had been sent clear on the right by Arshavin, and strong appeals for a late penalty were turned down when substitute Arne Friedrich brought down Bystrov.
"We had two or three good chances and several half chances but the difference was Germany's effectiveness," Hiddink said.
"We knew Germany would be difficult opponents. I still think we put in a good performance but just didn't take our chances."
The result means Germany's last group game, against Finland in Hamburg on Wednesday, is an academic affair, while Russia, who take on Azerbaijan in Baku, cannot be caught for second place.
