Truth be told, there wasn't that much hope for Belgium going into their match against Germany. They needed to better Turkey's result against Azerbaijan (in Istanbul) to qualify for the playoff rounds, and that probably wasn't going to happen against a Germany side with a 100% record in the group. In Dusseldorf, no less.
Germany Vs. Belgium, Euro 2012 Qualifying: Belgium Knocked Out As Hosts Complete Perfect Run
Things actually started reasonably for the visitors, with the midfield exercising control against a Bastian Schweinsteiger-less Germany, but after half an hour disaster struck, with Belgium failing to clear a corner properly and allowing Real Madrid's Mesut Ozil to latch onto the ball 25 yards out. Ozil made no mistake with his first-time shot, which crashed off the underside of Simon Mignolet's crossbar and into the back of the net to make it 1-0. Andre Schurrle doubled that lead seconds later with a sweetly-taken goal on the break, and from then on Belgium were lost.
Mario Gomez had wasted two easy chances for Germany in the first half but made the most of his third shortly after the break, crashing home after slipping free of Vincent Kompany, and although the visitors did manage a late goal through Marouane Fellaini, it was never going to be enough, especially after Turkey went ahead in their match. Disappointment for this young Belgium side, then - they'll be watching this summer's tournament at home.
Germany, meanwhile, won all ten of their group stage games for the first time in history, and have surely cemented their place as one of the favourites to win the 2012 European Championships.
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