Euro 2012: Germany, Italy, France, Holland, England and Portugal Record Wins

Round eight of Euro 2012 qualifying saw all the favourites record victories against their respective opponents. Whilst some wins were as narrow as 1-0, the Netherlands put 11 past San Marino to send a real message out to the competition. All in all, out of the total of 22 games played, just two ended in scoreless draws.

Germany cemented their spot in the 2012 European Championships with a solid 6-2 victory over Austria. A highly entertaining encounter saw a number of goals on both sides of the half. Mesut Ozil put in a stand-out performance, going on to score two. Along with him, Klose, Podolski, Schurrle and Gotze all got on the score sheet. Austria's only hope of qualification now lies with securing a playoff tie. That is, of course, if they can overtake a strong Turkish squad on the table.

Italy looked set to riot all over the Faroe Islands after getting away to an early one goal lead through Antonio Cassano. However 1-0 was how it remained, as the former world champions failed to find the back of the net again. One must remember that nine of the players in the starting XI for the Azzurri still have not played a competitive league fixture, relying only on what form they had from preseason friendlies. Nevertheless, they took a step closer to qualification, but will need to put in much better performances to really challenge for the Euro 2012 title.

France recorded a 2-1 victory against Albania, although they were for most parts matched or dominated by an inspired Albanian side. Goals from Benzema and M'Vila ultimately decided it for the French. Erjon Bogdani looked to lead a revival against Laurent Blanc's men, who seemingly turned off after the break. France proved to be the first side that had beaten Albania at home, and now are outright leaders of their Group. They, like Italy, will need to improve if they want to mount a realistic challenge for the Euro 2012 title.

Holland comprehensively destroyed the spirits of San Marino with their 11-0 victory in the Netherlands. It was relentless for the travelling nation, home to just 31'000 people. The Dutch recorded eight of their 11 in the second half. By the end of it, Van Persie bagged four, Sneijder and Huntelaar two, whilst Heitinga, Kuyt and Wijnaldum all had to settle for one goal. Realistically it was never going to be difficult for the 2010 World Cup Finalists, who sit undefeated at the top of Group E. Meanwhile, on the other end, San Marino still have failed to register a single point in this year's competition.

England decimated what was an extremely un-organised Bulgarian defence, putting three past the home side in the first half. Gary Cahill continued his English Premier League scoring form with his first goal for his country, pushing up to receive a ball from Barry which he finished cheekily, slotting it through the keepers' legs. Rooney got in on the action, grabbing a brace in the process, scoring a header from a corner and putting one past the keeper with a calm finish. England were happy to sit on their lead, with Lampard, Milner and Johnson also getting a run on from the bench. Another win by the Three Lions and they will seal their spot in the Euro Championships.

Portugal closed in on the top of their group with a solid performance against a Cyprus side reduced to 10 men. Cristiano Ronaldo bagged a double, including a penalty which lead to the red card. Hugo Almeida and Danny also bagged goals seeing Portugal record a 4-0 victory to put them top of Group H on goal difference. During the second half, Portugal were happy to lay-off the ball, but in the end they kept a clean sheet heading into their last two qualifying matches.

Other results from qualifying:

Turkey 2:1 Kazakhstan

Russia 1:0 Macedonia

Northern Ireland 0:1 Serbia

Belarus 0:2 Bosnia-Herzegovina

Hungary 2:1 Sweden

Israel 0:1 Greece

Norway 1:0 Iceland