BERLIN (AP) - The strikers are scoring, the defense is holding and Germany is off to its best World Cup start in 36 years.
Miroslav Klose scored twice to help the World Cup host beat Ecuador 3-0 on Tuesday. The victory gave Germany the maximum nine points and first place in Group A. Lukas Podolski also scored for Germany, which last won its first three matches at a World Cup in 1970.
Even better than the prolific offense _ eight goals in the first round _ is a once-vulnerable defense that has not conceded a goal in two straight games.
"Our goal was to win the group and we achieved this," Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann said. "We are looking forward to the knockout stage. Our strikers are in really good shape, they are working hard and scoring. But it will be more difficult to score in later rounds, so they will have to work even harder."
Both teams were assured of advancing to the second round before the kickoff. Their opponents would be determined after later matches pitting England vs. Sweden and Trinidad and Tobago vs. Paraguay. Germany, a three-time World Cup winner, will play Saturday in Munich, and Ecuador will play Sunday in Stuttgart.
Klose, who now has nine World Cup goals, finished strong German pressure early in the match when he scored in the fourth minute.
After a German corner kick, the Ecuadorean defense could not clear the ball and it was sent back to defender Per Mertesacker, who flicked it over to the far post. Bastian Schweinsteiger crossed it back onto the path of Klose, who drove it inside the far post.
Klose celebrated with his trademark somersault, a gesture he says is reserved for important goals in big games.
The striker, who also scored twice in Germany's 4-2 opening win over Costa Rica, had several other shots and another attempt stopped by goalkeeper Cristian Mora.
By then, the early pace had considerably slackened and even the capacity crowd of 72,000 appeared to slumber in the afternoon heat.
Then, the German team suddenly came alive again.
Captain Michael Ballack chipped a pass to the edge of the Ecuador box, Klose shook off two defenders while playing the ball off his thigh, went around Mora and coolly slotted home.
Edwin Tenorio gave Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann his first real test of the match in the 49th with a long-range shot that Lehmann tipped over the crossbar.
Luis Valencia then nearly took the German captain out of the game with a vicious kick that hit Ballack in the left foot. After some treatment, Ballack stayed in.
Klose's partner in Germany's attack, Podolski, nearly brushed the post after a quick move in the 54th. And with Ecuador trying to go forward, large gaps left in its defense were exploited by the Germans in the 57th.
Robert Huth blocked a shot outside the Germany penalty area, and Schweinsteiger carried the ball forward. He waited to time his pass to Bernd Schneider perfectly. Schneider then curled a cross into the box, finding the galloping Podolski, whose poke rolled inside the right post.
The Germans walked around the field and waved to the fans giving them a standing ovation. The players then stopped, linked hands and raised their arms in unison to thank the thousands of flag-waving spectators.
It was a memorable scene in a stadium where Jesse Owens won gold medals in front of Adolf Hitler 70 years ago. The German team rarely plays in the Olympic Stadium _ but has its sights on another trip to the historic arena, on July 9 in the World Cup final.