Euro 2012 qualifying began in August 2010, with 51 nations vying to be part of next Juneís tournament in Poland and Ukraine. Of course, only about half of those teams entered with realistic hopes of qualifying or making the playoffs, and less than half of those teams have a legitimate chance to make a serious run at the title.
But there were several examples in qualifying that proved that fortune doesn’t always favor the fancied or that impressive football statistics or squad lists matter as much as the luck of the draw can sometimes. In fact, Montenegro, who finished with a goal differential of zero, will be taking part in the playoffs, whereas Armenia, who finished with a goal differential of +12, will not.
Now, after more than a yearís worth of twists, turns, and results expected and unexpected, we now know who 12 of the 16 Euro 2012 participants are. The last four spots will be determined by next monthís two-legged playoffs, and after all that transpired during the group phase of qualifying, thereís a lot to look forward to in the playoffs. Hereís a group-by-group look at how we got to this point.
Group A
Group A was dominated from the word go by Euro 2008 finalists Germany, with Belgium and Turkey left to battle it out for a distant second.
Germany started with a narrow 1-0 win away to Austria, but that proved to be one of their few tough matches in a dominant run to automatic qualification. Joachim Lowís side accomplished the rare feat of going unbeaten and untied in qualifying, and in winning all ten of their qualifiers, they scored an astounding 34 goals and conceded only seven, with the still-firing Miroslav Klose leading the way with nine.
As for that race for second? It came down to the final day of matches, with Turkeyís 1-0 home win over Azerbaijan, combined with Germanyís 3-1 home win over Belgium, sending Turkey into the playoffs, two points ahead of Belgium but a distant 13 behind the unmatched Germans.
Group B
As expected, Russia and Ireland claimed first and second in Group B. Russia, with 22 points, topped the group, while Ireland finished a single point behind, relegating them to the playoffs.
However, the real story of Group B was Armenia. Thatís right, Armenia. After reaching the round of 16 in the 2010 World Cup, it appeared that Russia and Irelandís opposition for a top-two spot would come from Slovakia. Instead, it came from Armenia, who went from being perennial doormats to entering the final match day still seriously in contention for second.
In the end though, Ireland beat Armenia 2-1 in Dublin to claim second, four points ahead of Armenia, who led the group in goals scored with 22 and, were it not for Russiaís 5-0 win over Andorra on the final matchday, would have led the group in goal difference as well.
Group C
As surprising as Armeniaís near-miss in Group B was, there was an even bigger surprise in Group C. There wasnít a surprise in regards to top spot, as the group was Italyís to lose from early on.
Cesare Prandelli took over as Italy coach after the Azzurriís disappointing 2010 World Cup, and he presided over a qualifying campaign that was by no means pretty but somehow ended up being an unbeaten one. Italy drew eight and won two, and four of those wins were by a one-goal margin.
The surprise came in the race for second, as Estonia, who had finished no better than fourth in four previous European Championship qualifying campaigns, edged out 2010 World Cup participants Serbia and Slovenia for second and an unlikely place in the playoffs against Ireland. Estonia recorded only seven points from their first seven matches, but following a 2-0 away defeat against the Faroe Islands, Estonia finished qualifying with three consecutive wins. And with Serbia picking up only four points and Slovenia three in that same span, Estonia wound up finishing one point ahead of Serbia and two ahead of Slovenia.
Group D
France and Bosnia were undoubtedly the two best teams in Group D, and they would battle it out for top spot in the group until the very end.
Franceís first competitive match under Laurent Blanc was a shock 1-0 home defeat to Belarus, but perhaps that was a wake-up call, as they won their next four qualifiers and went 6-2-0 in their next eight overall. However, Bosnia remained hot on their heels throughout, and it all came down to a meeting between the two at Stade de France.
Bosnia stunningly took the lead through Edin Dzeko shortly before halftime, and they were less than a quarter of an hour away from a famous win and an automatic place in Euro 2012. However, Samir Nasri slotted home a penalty in the 78th minute, and the match finished 1-1, which saw France dramatically edge out Bosnia by a single point.
Group E
Even though the final Group E standings show the Netherlands finishing only three points clear of second-placed Sweden, it can be said that there was never any real doubt about who would win the group.
The Netherlands put their World Cup final disappointment behind them and thoroughly dominated Group E, scoring a total of 37 goals, the most by any team in qualifying, with 12 of those by qualifying top scorer Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. They also very nearly joined Germany and Spain in the unbeaten and untied club, but Sweden came back in the second half for a 3-2 win in their final qualifier in Solna.
Sweden did their best to keep pace with the Netherlands, but while their best wasnít good enough to challenge for the group until the end, it was good enough to finish five points clear of Hungary for second and an automatic place in Euro 2012 as the best second-placed team. It’s only fair though, as Sweden were quite prolific in qualifying as well, scoring 31 goals, which ranks third behind Germany and the Netherlands. It is worth noting though that Group E was home to minnow of minnows San Marino, who lost all ten of their qualifiers and were outscored 53-0 in the process.
Group F
Group F was a tight two-horse race, as the final round of matches determined the order in which Greece and Croatia finished in the group.
After draws in their first two matches, Greece caught fire, going 7-1-0 in their last eight matches, finishing up with a 2-0 win over Croatia and a comeback 2-1 away win against Georgia. That saw them finish two points ahead of Croatia, who finished with seven wins just as Greece did but drew once and lost twice. Greece got the points where it counted, taking four off of Croatia and four off of Georgia, who Croatia drew and lost to. And they did so with excellent defending, as they allowed only five goals in their ten matches.
For Croatia, not being able to close out the group is no doubt disappointing, but there is the nice consolation prize of a playoff tilt against Turkey, which is a rematch of a wild and memorable Euro 2008 quarterfinal, which Turkey won on penalties.
Group G
Group G perhaps drew more attention than any of the other groups, given the media microscope England are always under and how they spectacularly missed out on Euro 2008.
There were no such issues this time, as Fabio Capelloís side won five and drew three to finish six points clear of Montenegro. The two were actually tied on points with only three rounds remaining, but seven points from their last three to only one for Montenegro turned the group in Englandís favor. Despite that late blip, Montenegro wound up second in the group, three points ahead of disappointing Switzerland.
Of course, the biggest headline from the group is the red card and subsequent three-match ban for Wayne Rooney due to a silly red card in Englandís final qualifier, a 2-2 draw away to Montenegro. Rooney is set to miss the entire group stage, which could have an effect on Englandís hopes to make a deep run.
Group H
Portugal may have the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani in their side, and they may have scored the most goals in Group H by a wide margin, but itís Denmark who are already assured of a place in Euro 2012, while Portugal will be facing Bosnia in the playoffs.
Portugal opened qualifying with a shock 4-4 home draw against Cyprus, who picked up only one more point the rest of the way, and followed that with a 1-0 defeat away to Norway. They did recover well, winning their next five matches in a row, but they were left needing to avoid defeat in Copenhagen on the final day to win the group. However, it was Denmark who rose to the occasion, stunning Portugal 2-1. Denmark finished on 19 points, with both Portugal and Norway on 16, but Portugal edged out Norway for second on goal difference.
It was a well-deserved group win for Denmark, who went a perfect 4-0-0 at home and whose only blemishes in qualifying were a 3-1 away defeat against Portugal and a 1-1 away draw against Norway.
Group I
Reigning European and world champions Spain were overwhelming favorites in Group I going in, and they proved why from the outset. Late winners were required in away wins against Scotland and Lithuania, and two late goals were required in a come-from-behind 2-1 home win over the Czech Republic in March, but Spain did what was required of them eight times in eight matches to finish with a perfect mark.
Scotland will be left wondering ëwhat if?í for some time, because of a controversial 2-2 draw with the Czechs in September. Instead of picking up three big points, Scotland were done in by surrendering late leads twice and a controversial last-minute penalty that allowed the Czechs to leave Glasgow with a point. Scotland won two of their last three qualifiers to finish with 11 points, but the Czechs took second on the final day with a resounding 4-1 win at Lithuania, finishing on 13 points and booking a playoff date with Montenegro. Had Scotland taken all three points in that fixture at Hampden Park, itíd have been a different story entirely.
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Euro 2012 Qualifiers Review
