Denmark, France and Russia booked their places at Euro 2012 while Portugal were consigned to the play-offs after a tense conclusion to qualifying on Tuesday. Greece, surprise champions in 2004, joined that trio as winners of their respective groups with Sweden also sealing their passage as best runners-up in Group E with a shock 3-2 win over already qualified Holland in Stockholm. Two-time former winners France did it the hard way, fighting back from 1-0 down to force a 1-1 draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina, who would have topped the table had they held on to win.
Denmark, European champions in 1992, stunned the Portuguese with a 2-1 win in Copenhagen to leapfrog the visitors and top Group H consigning the Euro 2004 finalists to the play-offs. Greece edged Georgia 2-1 away while Russia as expected had no problem in disposing of Andorra 6-0 to top their respective groups. Both title holders Spain and 2008 finalists Germany rounded off their campaigns without dropping a point as Spain beat Scotland 3-1 and the Germans prevailed by the same score against Belgium. An increasingly impressive Germany romped to victory over a promising Belgian side, who were bidding to become the first Belgium side to win on German soil since a 1983 victory over East Germany. Goals by Mesut Ozil, Andre Schuerrle and Mario Gomez put paid to the Belgians hopes of the win that would send them into the runners-up play-offs – Turkey’s 1-0 win at home to Azerbaijan confirmed they would finish second.
France looked like they might end up in the play-offs for the second successive time in a major championships when Edin Dzeko scored a beauty for Bosnia late in the first-half. However, a penalty from Dzeko’s Manchester City team-mate Samir Nasri levelled matters in the second-half and the hosts held on for the point they needed. “The match was difficult. It was what we expected,” admitted France coach Laurent Blanc. “It was tough and it was tense. But in the end, it’s a huge satisfaction to be qualified for the Euro,” added Blanc, who was a member of the side that won Euro 2000.
