Germany clinched top spot in Group A by coasting to a 3-0 victory against a below strength Ecuador in Berlin.

A first-half Miroslav Klose brace and a strike from Lukas Podolski after the break secured victory for the hosts in a match they dominated for the full 90 minutes without ever hitting peak form.

Ecuador coach Luis Fernando Suarez effectively surrendered before kick-off by opting to rest five key players, with his side's last 16 tie in mind.

Germany took less than four minutes to get off the mark, with the help of some sloppy defending from Ecuador's remodelled backline.

They missed two opportunities to clear a poorly taken corner from Bastian Schweinsteiger and the ball eventually found its way back to the Bayern Munich man, who cut it back from the byline to Klose on the edge of the six-yard box.

The Werder Bremen striker made no mistake, guiding a powerful shot across goalkeeper Cristian Mora and into the far corner.

The hosts proceeded to control the rest of the opening 45 minutes, but much of their attacking play lacked spark and the game had a training ground feel to it as they knocked the ball about in midfield.

The second goal arrived a minute before the break when Michael Ballack's superb chipped pass played in Klose, who used his knee to take the ball wide of the goalkeeper before slotting it into the unguarded net.

Ecuador offered more of a fight after the break but struggled to break down Germany's defence and rarely troubled Jens Lehmann.

Their attacking approach left them open to swift counter attacks and the hosts took advantage to make sure of victory.

An Ecuador corner was cleared and Schweinsteiger released the industrious Bernd Schneider on the right wing. His pinpoint centre found Podolski, who steered the ball beyond Mora.

Podolski and Ballack could have added to the score in the final half-hour, but the three-goal victory was enough to remind the world's top teams that Germany will not be a pushover for anyone in the later stages of the tournament.