Germany manager Joachim Low was happy to conclude his side's World Cup-winning year with one more victory, a 1-0 triumph in Spain on Tuesday.
In 2014, Germany remained unbeaten through the World Cup, but then lost a rematch of the final with Argentina in a friendly in September and also dropped a Euro 2016 qualifier in Poland in October.
But Die Mannschaft got back on track on Tuesday in Vigo, with Toni Kroos' late strike providing the difference in a rainy affair.
Low, however, still saw room for improvement.
"I don't think you can ask for a better end to the year than that," Low said after the match. "I'm very happy with our defensive display. We were better going forward in the second half than we were in the first.
"We have to keep on developing and improving in areas, but that was a good start today.
Germany started the international break with a qualifying win over Euro newcomers Gibraltar, and Kroos said Germany are now in a good place.
"These two recent wins are just what we'd hoped for," Kroos said. "We were very solid at the back and hardly let anything through. It's been a great year and it's a great way to end it."
One worrying point for Germany was a minor injury to striker Thomas Muller, who came off in the first half with an apparent injury.
"It was a good result, one the team deserves. We showed that we're to be reckoned with," Muller said. "We had a lot of young players involved who were excellent today."
"In terms of my injury, we'll see what the examination brings tomorrow."