Top marks

The game was, for all practical purposes, just a formality for the German national team. The final game of the qualifying round of the 2012 European Championships had no bearing on their position at the top of Group A, as they had long since qualified for the tournament next summer.

But there was still something on the line for Joachim Löw's squad as they headed into their match Tuesday against Belgium in Dusseldorf's Esprit Arena: a perfect record in qualifying.

By the end of the night, Germany's 3-1 win over the Belgians gave them their tenth win in as many qualifying games, good for 30 points in their group. That's the best of any team in the qualifying round.

Belgium, too, had something at stake: a win for them meant they were second in the group with another shot at qualifying for Euro 2012 in a playoff of the group's runners-up. By losing to Germany, though, Belgium left their fate in the hands of Turkey, which dispatched Azerbaijan 1-0 and took second place in the group for themselves.

Wrapped up early

The Belgians did come out swinging, however, and dominated possession in the first ten minutes of the game. But for this German squad, as they showed on Friday against Turkey, the first 10 minutes are often used to ease into the game before the real fireworks start.

First Germany took control of possession after about a quarter of an hour. Then, they started chipping away at the Belgian defense. Mesut Özil, back into the starting lineup after sitting on Friday with an Achilles problem, was back to his usual ways of setting up plays and helping dictate the attack.

Showing no signs of rust after missing Friday's game, Özil even struck first for the Germans in the 33rd minute. After a corner kick found its way to Sami Khedira, he passed it out to Özil, who blasted a frozen rope from about twenty meters that clanked off the crossbar and in.

Minutes later, it was Andre Schürrle who put Germany ahead 2-0. Schürrle was taking over for a slightly injured Lukas Podolski in attacking midfield and picked up where he left off after being subbed for Podolski late against Turkey. Schürrle was all energy in the 20 minutes he played in that game, and finally got a well-earned goal for his efforts in both games when Mario Gomez pushed the ball forward to find Schürrle all alone. With only the Belgian keeper Simon Mignolet to beat, Schürrle chipped the ball over his head and in.

After the break, Mario Gomez wasted no time in putting the game out of reach for the Belgians with a solo run that ended with a shot that Mignolet had no chance of saving. The score stood at 3-0 after 48 minutes, and although Marouane Fellaini pulled one back for the Belgians with a nice header in the 86th, Germany's perfect qualifying round was in the bag long before the final whistle.

'What more could you ask for?'

Germany's perfect 10 wins marks the best European Championship qualifying round in the team's history, a fact that was not lost on coach Joachim Löw after the game.

"Ten wins from 10 games – what more could you ask for?” he told reporters after the match. "We wanted this final sprint to the finish and to cross the line with 10 wins, because with every win you gain just a little bit more respect."

Perhaps the most remarkable part about Germany's qualifying round was the depth that developed on the team. While some players certainly can be considered staples in the lineup and are sure to start next summer during the tournament in Poland and Ukraine, like Manuel Neuer, Philipp Lahm, or Bastian Schweinsteiger, to name a few, other positions have developed in such a way that the lines are blurred between the backup and the starter.

Andre Schürrle, for example, has proven to be a very capable backup to Lukas Podolski, and some are wondering if he won't take over Podolski's spot completely by the time Euro 2012 roll around.

"I think it pushes us forward," Schürrle said of the competition for a starting spot on the team. "You bring a lot more to every practice and every game when you get the chance to play, and that's better for all the players."

Mesut Özil is Löw's first choice at the critical central-midfield position, but Mario Götze has also proven capable in this position, even if he was a little banged up from Friday. In this case, both players could end up playing side by side during Euro 2012, a possibility that can only help create goal chances for Germany and will have other teams in the tournament a little nervous.

"I think the other teams will notice that we are a great team with good people," said defender Per Mertesacker after the game.

More than just Germany and Spain

Defending European and World Cup Champions Spain were the only other team to do as well as Germany in qualifying. They were also undefeated but played in a group of eight teams to Germany's 10, giving them 24 points instead of 30.

Löw, however, was quick to point out that there are more teams to worry about in the tournament than just Germany and Spain.

"I just want to clarify one thing with regard to the European Championship," Löw said. "It bothers me that everyone always talks about a showdown between Germany and Spain for the title. There are other teams who are quite dangerous."

No matter who Germany may face in next summer's European Championships, nothing short of a title is the team's goal.

"It's about time that Germany become European Champions again,” said Özil.

In addition to Germany and Spain as well as Poland and Ukraine who qualify as hosts, the Netherlands, Italy, Russia, Denmark, France, Greece and England qualified for Euro 2012 as group winners, while Sweden is also through as the best runner-up. The remaining eight runners-up – Turkey, Ireland, Estonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, and Portugal will square off in two-legged playoffs to determine the final four slots in the 16-team tournament.

Author: Matt Zuvela, Dusseldorf
Editor: Nicole Goebel