The Czech Republic's Jan Koller and Germany's Lukas Podolski (©Getty Images)

The Czech Republic and Germany finished clear of the pack in perhaps the most straightforward of the seven qualifying groups, although there was to be a sting in the tail for Joachim Löw's men.

First qualifiers
With Jürgen Klinsmann having given up his role as national team coach following the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals, his former assistant Löw was handed the task of leading Germany to the UEFA European Championship in Austria and Switzerland. His side duly went unbeaten through their first nine qualifiers to become the first side to join the hosts in the finals with three games to spare.

Massive win
They showed their teeth early on, following a 1-0 opening win against the Republic of Ireland with a 13-0 mauling of San Marino – the most emphatic victory in the history of the competition. "We knew San Marino were the worst side we would face so we wanted to score a lot of goals," explained striker Lukas Podolski who struck four times in Serravalle.

Czechs defeated
They would go on to beat the Czech Republic – the only side seemingly capable of challenging them in the section – in their fifth game in Prague to take a commanding lead in the section, Kevin Kuranyi scoring twice in a 2-1 success, but Karel Brückner's side were to take full advantage of one of Germany's infrequent lapses to steal top spot in the section.

Munich shock
With Germany having sealed qualification in their previous game, they were taken apart by a patched together Czech side in Munich. Goals from Libor Sionko, Marek Matějovský and Jaroslav Plašil gave the visitors a 3-0 win and a place in the finals. "Qualifying is nice but the way we did it is even better," said defender David Rozehnal.

Fast lane
That result put the Czechs top of Group D, and they were to hold on to pole position with wins against neighbours Slovakia and sixth-placed Cyprus in their final two games, while Germany ended on something of a low note with a 0-0 draw against Wales. However, Löw's long-term plan remains intact. "It's our goal to keep Germany at a consistently high level over the next ten years," he said. "We are not quite in the fast lane yet."

Standings

Group D	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
Czech Republic	12	9	2	1	27	5	29
Germany	12	8	3	1	35	7	27
Republic of Ireland	12	4	5	3	17	14	17
Slovakia	12	5	1	6	33	23	16
Wales	12	4	3	5	18	19	15
Cyprus	12	4	2	6	17	24	14
San Marino	12	0	0	12	2	57	0

Group A

• POL (Q) POR (Q)
  SRB/FIN/BEL/KAZ/ARM/AZE

Group B

• ITA (Q) FRA (Q)
  SCO/UKR/LTU/GEO/FRO

Group C

• GRE (Q) TUR (Q)
  NOR/BIH/MDA/HUN/MLT

Group D

• CZE (Q) GER (Q)
  IRL/SVK/WAL/CYP/SMR

Group E

• CRO (Q) RUS (Q)
  ENG/ISR/MKD/EST/AND

Group F

• ESP (Q) SWE (Q)
  NIR/DEN/LVA/ISL/LIE

Group G

• ROU (Q) NED (Q)
  BUL/BLR/ALB/SVN/LUX