Joachim Low's side became the first team aside from the two host nations to guarantee their place at Euro 2008 before taking their foot off the pedal to end up two points behind the Czechs.

A goalless draw against the Republic of Ireland, who finished 10 points behind the Germans in third, in early October 2007 secured qualification.

That was the first game of the campaign where the free-scoring three-time European champions failed to find the net - they ended with 35 goals from their 12 matches, including 13 without reply away to hapless San Marino.

Germany's only defeat came at home to the Czech Republic in their third-from-last game, the 3-0 loss enabling their opponents to top the group.

Germany kicked off qualification with a 1-0 home win over the Irish in September 2006 in Low's first competitive match in charge - he had succeeded Jurgen Klinsmann as the coach of the national team after the World Cup that summer.

Bayern Munich striker Lukas Podolski scored the winner with the first of his eight goals, the most in the group.

The 13-goal romp in San Marino followed four days later and Podolski was again the star of the show with four of them.

Miroslav Klose - fresh from claiming the Golden Boot at the World Cup with his second five-goal haul in successive finals - Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Hitzlsperger all bagged braces, while Michael Ballack, Manuel Friedrich and Bernd Schneider from the penalty spot were also on target.

Podolski, in his debut season at Bayern following a big-money move from Cologne, was finding goals hard to come by for his new club - he had still not netted in the Bundesliga when Germany travelled to Slovakia in October.

But he continued his prolific form for the national team in Bratislava with another two goals in a 4-1 win.

Ballack, also struggling to find his feet at his new club, Chelsea, after his move from Bayern, and Schweinsteiger scored the others.

The blistering start to Low's reign was halted in the next game though as minnows Cyprus held the World Cup semi-finalists to a 1-1 draw the following month, Ioannis Okkas cancelling out Ballack's opener.

That result meant Germany were level on 10 points with Czech Republic when the group heavyweights went head to head in Prague in March 2007.

And this time it was another striker who stole the headlines, Schalke hitman Kevin Kuranyi scoring twice before Milan Baros' late consolation to give the away side a 2-1 win.

Brazil-born Kuranyi was again on target as Germany picked up their fourth win of the campaign at home to San Marino, although this time the score was a rather more respectable 6-0.

Marcell Jansen, Torsten Frings with a penalty, Clemens Fritz and Mario Gomez with two also all scored in the space of 15 minutes after the break.

A tougher test though followed against Slovakia in Hamburg, where a Jan Durica own goal and a strike from former Aston Villa midfielder Hitzlsperger gave Germany a 2-1 success.

The Slovakians were missing former Bundesliga top scorer Marek Mintal, who had just won the German Cup with Nurnberg, but still gave the home side a scare after Christophe Metzelder's own goal had brought them level.

September brought a 2-0 win over Wales at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium and a return to the scoresheet for Bayern's new signing Klose.

The former Werder Bremen frontman scored only his third and fourth goals of the qualifying campaign as the Germans cruised to a 2-0 win over John Toshack's side to move to the verge of place at Euro 2008.

And that place was sealed the following month with an away point against the Republic to take the pressure off Germany's final three matches.

The lack of a genuine incentive was evident as the Czechs gained revenge for their defeat earlier in the campaign with a 3-0 victory in Munich to hand Low his first loss in a competitive game as Germany coach - his very first defeat had come in a friendly against Denmark in March.

Low's side responded with a 4-0 thrashing of Cyprus thanks to goals from Fritz, Klose, Podolski and Hitzlsperger to keep alive their hopes of toping the group.

The final qualifier at home to Wales though ended in a goalless draw, leaving the Germans to settle for second spot.