Germany, England move closer to 2018 World Cup

GENEVA — Germany kept cruising toward the World Cup in Russia, England edged closer, and Poland’s unbeaten run was decisively ended on Friday.

Germany’s 2-1 win at the Czech Republic was the world champion’s seventh straight win in qualifying and maintained its five-point lead over Northern Ireland atop Group C with three rounds left.

Mats Hummels leaped high to head an 88th-minute winning goal that capped an interesting week for the Bayern Munich defender. He was rebuked by team management for posting a video of himself on social media jumping off a balcony into a swimming pool.

England laboured to a 4-0 win in Malta with three late goals to stay two points ahead in Group F of Slovakia, which comes to play at Wembley in a potentially group-defining game on Monday.

Poland, the world’s No. 5-ranked team, lost 4-0 in Denmark and now leads Group E by just three points over Montenegro and the Danes.

In Group C, Northern Ireland looks bound for the playoffs — the eight best group runners-up — after winning 3-0 in San Marino. Josh Magennis scored twice in a five-minute spell to ensure the Irish victory and create a seven-point gap over the third-place Czechs, who play in Belfast on Monday.

Germany can seal qualification by beating Norway in Stuttgart on Monday, and if Northern Ireland fails to win.

In Group F, England did not impress before finally seeing off 190th-ranked Malta on a warm evening on the Mediterranean island. Harry Kane, the Tottenham striker who notoriously does not score in August, scored two on Sept. 1 as all the goals came in the second half. Defender Ryan Bertrand made it 2-0 in the 85th and substitute Danny Welbeck got the third in stoppage time before Kane struck again.