Playmaker Mesut Oezil scored two goals and made a third as Germany beat Austria 6-2 on Friday to become the first team to qualify for the 2012 European Championship.
Oezil came agonizingly close to scoring a hat-trick as UEFA ruled his goalbound shot in the eighth minute actually took a slight touch from Miroslav Klose. Though German TV credited the goal to Oezil, Klose was able to claim the strike.
Oezil was clearly happy to be back in his home town, scoring in the 23rd after a one two with Klose, before Lukas Podolski effectively killed the game with Germany's third in the 28th.
Marko Arnautovic pulled one back in the 42nd minute, but Oezil scored again after the break when he rounded off a counterattack in the 47th.
Martin Harnik scored another Austrian consolation goal in the 51st, before Germany substitutes Andre Schuerrle and Mario Goetze rounded off the scoring with goals in the 84th and 89th, respectively.
Germany has a maximum 24 points after winning all eight of its games in Group A.
''We qualified masterfully,'' coach Joachim Loew said. ''You cannot qualify any sooner. Now we have to keep this enthusiasm going in the next games.''
Austria's hopes of qualifying hang by a thread, while its wait for a first win in Germany since 1931 goes on.
Loew resisted the urge to start Oezil and Goetze together, but gave fans a taste of things to come when he brought on Goetze with five minutes remaining.
The 19-year-old attacking midfielder scored with a spectacular volley off the right-hand post in the last minute, and there was still time for him to set up Oezil, only for the 22-year-old midfielder to uncharacteristically shoot over.
Germany's first goal came when Oezil met an attempted clearance from Emanuel Pogatetz with a low angled shot from the edge of the area, that may have grazed Klose on the way. Even the players were unsure.
''I don't know. I have no idea (who scored),'' Oezil said. ''Of course, I'm happy to score goals.''
''It's not important who scores them,'' added Klose, who is now only six goals behind Gerd Mueller's 68 on the all-time list.
Oezil's injection of pace and KIose's clever backheel created Germany's second, when Oezil slotted the ball into an empty net after rounding the goalkeeper.
The home side was coasting when Podolski met Holger Badstuber's cross with a first-time shot to beat Christian Gratzei at the near post.
The visitors sought a response, with Pogatetz heading wide and Ekrem Dag finding the side netting, before David Alaba fired over.
Arnautovic capitalized on some halfhearted defending from Badstuber and Philipp Lahm when he got between them to reach Florian Klein's cross and head past Manuel Neuer.
Gratzei pulled off a great save to deny Podolski before the break, but Oezil beat him at the near post almost immediately after it.
Arnautovic caught Germany's defense napping again when he hooked the ball over for Harnik to blast past Neuer.
Fans whistled impatiently as the intensity dropped with half an hour remaining, before Schuerrle and Goetze got the party going again.
''We've worked the whole time on building a team where players can be replaced. It has to be that way if you want to win something and be world class,'' Loew said.
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Lineups:
Germany: Manuel Neuer, Benedikt Hoewedes (Jerome Boateng, 46), Mats Hummels, Holger Badstuber, Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Toni Kroos (Mario Goetze, 85), Lukas Podolski (Andre Schuerrle, 74), Mesut Oezil, Thomas Mueller, Miroslav Klose.
Austria: Christian Gratzei, Emanuel Pogatetz, Christian Fuchs, Franz Schiemer, Julian Baumgartlinger, David Alaba, Florian Klein, Daniel Royer (Erwin Hoffer, 73), Ekrem Dag, Martin Harnik, Marko Arnautovic.
