rrrecord!
Joachim Löw could barely contain his pride as he reflected on the 4-2 triumph against Greece which secured Germany both a UEFA EURO 2012 semi-final spot and a world record 15th successive competitive victory.
Germany have not been beaten in competition since the FIFA World Cup semi-final loss to Spain on 7 July 2010 in Durban, a sequence which includes the subsequent third-place play-off victory against Uruguay, an entire UEFA European Championship qualifying campaign and four wins in Poland and Ukraine.
"We have won 15 games in a row," said Löw after the quarter-final success last night. "We are the youngest team at this tournament and have great prospects for the future. I am proud of my players. It was a fantastic performance."
Spain won 19 competitive matches in succession, from 12/09/2007 to 20/06/2009, although that run included a penalty shoot-out triumph against Italy in a UEFA EURO 2008 quarter-final - technically a draw. Spain set another 14-match mark between 21/06/2010 and 11/10/2011, while France (07/09/2002-13/06/2004) and the Netherlands (10/09/2008-06/07/2010) previously matched that feat.
In order to extend their run to 20 competitive games, Germany would have to win UEFA EURO 2012 and their opening three matches in 2014 World Cup qualifying against the Faroe Islands (07/09/2012) at home and away to Austria (11/09/2012) and the Republic of Ireland (12/10/2012).
Germany's winning run
10/07/2010 World Cup 3rd place: Germany 3-2 Uruguay (Port Elizabeth)
03/09/2010 EURO qualifying: Belgium 0-1 Germany (Brussels)
07/09/2010 EURO qualifying: Germany 6-1 Azerbaijan (Cologne)
08/10/2010 EURO qualifying: Germany 3-0 Turkey (Berlin)
12/10/2010 EURO qualifying: Kazakhstan 0-3 Germany (Astana)
26/03/2011 EURO qualifying: Germany 4-0 Kazakhstan (Kaiserslautern)
03/06/2011 EURO qualifying: Austria 1-2 Germany (Vienna)
07/06/2011 EURO qualifying: Azerbaijan 1-3 Germany (Baku)
02/09/2011 EURO qualifying: Germany 6-2 Austria (Gelsenkirchen)
07/10/2011 EURO qualifying: Turkey 1-3 Germany (Istanbul)
11/10/2011 EURO qualifying: Germany 3-1 Belgium (Dusseldorf)
09/06/2012 EURO Group B: Germany 1-0 Portugal (Lviv)
13/06/2012 EURO Group B: Netherlands 1-2 Germany (Kharkiv)
17/06/2012 EURO Group B: Denmark 1-2 Germany (Lviv)
22/06/2012 EURO quarter-final: Germany 4-2 Greece (Gdansk)
And, of course, Miroslav Klose is extending his run as the lucky charm - in his ten year international career, Germany has not lost yet when he has scored.
Germany have not been beaten in competition since the FIFA World Cup semi-final loss to Spain on 7 July 2010 in Durban, a sequence which includes the subsequent third-place play-off victory against Uruguay, an entire UEFA European Championship qualifying campaign and four wins in Poland and Ukraine.
"We have won 15 games in a row," said Löw after the quarter-final success last night. "We are the youngest team at this tournament and have great prospects for the future. I am proud of my players. It was a fantastic performance."
Spain won 19 competitive matches in succession, from 12/09/2007 to 20/06/2009, although that run included a penalty shoot-out triumph against Italy in a UEFA EURO 2008 quarter-final - technically a draw. Spain set another 14-match mark between 21/06/2010 and 11/10/2011, while France (07/09/2002-13/06/2004) and the Netherlands (10/09/2008-06/07/2010) previously matched that feat.
In order to extend their run to 20 competitive games, Germany would have to win UEFA EURO 2012 and their opening three matches in 2014 World Cup qualifying against the Faroe Islands (07/09/2012) at home and away to Austria (11/09/2012) and the Republic of Ireland (12/10/2012).
Germany's winning run
10/07/2010 World Cup 3rd place: Germany 3-2 Uruguay (Port Elizabeth)
03/09/2010 EURO qualifying: Belgium 0-1 Germany (Brussels)
07/09/2010 EURO qualifying: Germany 6-1 Azerbaijan (Cologne)
08/10/2010 EURO qualifying: Germany 3-0 Turkey (Berlin)
12/10/2010 EURO qualifying: Kazakhstan 0-3 Germany (Astana)
26/03/2011 EURO qualifying: Germany 4-0 Kazakhstan (Kaiserslautern)
03/06/2011 EURO qualifying: Austria 1-2 Germany (Vienna)
07/06/2011 EURO qualifying: Azerbaijan 1-3 Germany (Baku)
02/09/2011 EURO qualifying: Germany 6-2 Austria (Gelsenkirchen)
07/10/2011 EURO qualifying: Turkey 1-3 Germany (Istanbul)
11/10/2011 EURO qualifying: Germany 3-1 Belgium (Dusseldorf)
09/06/2012 EURO Group B: Germany 1-0 Portugal (Lviv)
13/06/2012 EURO Group B: Netherlands 1-2 Germany (Kharkiv)
17/06/2012 EURO Group B: Denmark 1-2 Germany (Lviv)
22/06/2012 EURO quarter-final: Germany 4-2 Greece (Gdansk)
And, of course, Miroslav Klose is extending his run as the lucky charm - in his ten year international career, Germany has not lost yet when he has scored.