Low: I´d have preferred it if Muller scored at the Euros!

Thomas Muller scored twice as Germany kicked off their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 3-0 win over Norway, but Joachim Low was left questioning why the Bayern Munich forward was unable to find the net at Euro 2016.

Despite scoring five goals during Germany’s successful World Cup campaign in 2014, Muller drew a blank in France as Low’s men were eliminated at the semi-final stage – his missed penalty in a shoot-out victory over Italy in the last eight went unpunished.

And after Muller starred in a dominant win for the defending champions in Oslo, where Joshua Kimmich also got his name on the scoresheet, Low joked that the player’s eye for goal had arrived a few months too late.

“We played very confidently,” said Low. “Norway did not come into play at all and had no opportunities to score.

“For Thomas Muller, I would have preferred it if he would have scored some goals at the European Championship!

“He worked a lot and had many chances but did not score any goals.

“Of course there are things for us to improve – efficiency, for example, was the big problem against France [in the Euro 2016 semi-finals].”

Mario Gotze was perhaps the only German player to disappoint on Sunday, but Low urged patience after the attacker’s return to Borussia Dortmund following a disappointing spell with Bayern.

“Mario Gotze obviously needs a bit of time,” he added. “You can tell that the match practice is lacking.

“He needs a few games to bring back what is expected of him.”