Germany got the win they wanted at the start of the World Cup. The hosts beat Costa Rica 4-2 on Friday in the opening match of the tournament, hoping to inspire enough confidence in the team for the rest of the World Cup.
Germany captain Michael Ballack missed the game with an injury but striker Miroslav Klose celebrated his 28th birthday by scoring two goals. Paulo Wanchope also had two for Costa Rica.
Defender Philipp Lahm, still wearing a special brace after surgery on his left elbow three weeks ago, curved a shot from the edge of the box in the sixth minute to put Germany ahead.
Lahm cut in from the left and got the space he needed when Luis Marin slipped, leaving Lahm plenty of time to aim his shot into upper corner.
Torsten Frings added the fourth goal for Germany in the 87th.
Earlier, Germany piled on the pressure and Bernd Schneider fired high from close range, but Costa Rica stunned the hosts in the 12th when Wanchope beat the German offside trap and coolly slipped the ball past goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.
Germany have well-documented problems in their young and inexperienced defence, and their shortcomings were exposed again — while most of Germany’s back line was signalling offside with their raised arms, Arne Friedrich was caught behind Wanchope.
It didn’t take Germany long to recover.
Schneider broke through on the right in the 17th minute and passed the ball to Bastian Schweinsteiger, who sent a crisp pass to the far post for Klose to knock in.
In the 61st, Klose’s header was saved by goalkeeper Jose Porras, but the Bundesliga’s leading scorer fired the rebound into the roof of the net.
The Germans couldn’t relax, however, after Wanchope’s second in the 73rd.
He again beat the offside trap when a through pass caught Germany central defenders Per Mertesacker and Christoph Metzelder off guard. Wanchope was suddenly alone and shrugged off a late challenge by Friedrich to beat Lehmann for the second time. — Sapa-AP