SOCCER/Germany - 4 Costa Rica - 2: History suggests that these World Cup opening games are a bit of a drudge for everyone except the competing teams. Certainly nothing in the pre-show hype about Costa Rica and Germany suggested this would be any different. And yet we had a ball.
Germany won, but possibly only the Germans themselves have a word for the way they played. Exuberant but comical? Tentatively attacking? They scored four and might have had seven or eight. They let Costa Rica up the field a couple of times and handed two goals to the lumbering Paolo Wanchope. Perplexing.
Still, six goals, many of them fine specimens. Who'd moan?
Early on the omens were happy. Just three minutes gone when Torsten Frings lets fly with the World Cup's opening salvo. He scraped the bar from about 25 yards and the crowd rose and lauded Torsten as one of their favourite Frings.
Just three minutes later they were up again, and so were their team. Philipp Lahm, who generally had a splendid evening, picked up a scrappy clearance out on the left. He nipped past a defender as he surveyed his options, glanced at his forwards again and thought better of feeding them the ball. Finally, just as Michael Umana came to block, Lahm curled the ball into the far corner.
He looked like he knew what he was doing, but Lahm, who, having failed to score here all year for Bayern Munich, registered something between joy and surprise on his face immediately afterwards. Whatever. The strike set him up for a happy afternoon of foraging and plundering.
By now we were sitting back and pondering just how reliable the Germans are. No matter how crazy the blood feud between their goalkeepers becomes, no matter how devastating the loss of Michael Ballack is, no matter how young and unrated this team are, Germany will always put out a side capable of doing the business. More than that. Miroslav Klose draws a save. Bernd Schneider blasts over the bar. Costa Rica's defence looks tatty and ragged. Ah, Germany.
Then Costa Rica amble hopefully up the field. Leonardo Gonzales plays a lazy little through ball for Wanchope to lope after. The Germans look to the linesman for a flag, but full back Arne Friedrich is playing Wanchope onside. Still, it doesn't look dangerous. Wanchope, after all, looks as awkward as bosoms on a frog as he moves towards Jens Lehman. But, bang! He triggers it home. One-all. Viva Los Ticos!
Now we settle back for the period of consolidation which traditionally follows these outbursts of craziness. The Germans will play it around. The Costa Ricans will chase. It'll slow down a little till everyone gathers their senses.
Schneider goes tricking down the right wing and makes a nice little cross to Bastian Schweinsteiger, who arrives at speed and takes a couple of men out of it with a little burst after his first touch. He rolls it left, where Klose is steaming in. 2-1, and there's only 17 minutes gone. Opening games aren't supposed to be this way.
They manage to keep it that way till half-time. Germany, as befits the margin, dominate the play but can't quite make up their mind whether they should be imperious or cautious. Lukas Podolski, on whose broad shoulders much hope rests, thumps a volley into the chest of Jose Porras, the worryingly named Costa Rican goalie. Schneider down the right and Lahm down the left continue to tease the Costa Ricans. The half finishes with a comically bad wide from Christoph Metzelder following another Lahm run.
The Germans open the second half in a hurry. Podolski and Schweinsteiger appear to be going head-to-head in some sort of competition which rewards the worst miss. After 17 minutes it's left to the sober Miroslav Klose (celebrating his 28th birthday) to show the youngsters how it is done.
Another sprint down the left from Lahm, a good cross and Klose hammers a header off the body of Porras and is alert enough to bundle the rebound home.
The Germans celebrate and their boss, Jurgen Klinsmann, gives it the old clenched fist. Now we're serious.
Except, of course, they aren't in any way serious at the back. Per Mertesacker may be the tallest player on the field but he is also the most inelegant, which is saying something given that he is marking Wanchope. Ten minutes after Klose's second goal Mertesacker looks dithery as Walter Centeno runs at him. The Costa Rican slips through a sneaky little pass and even though Wanchope is offside this time he gets away with it and slides the ball under Lehmann. In a crafty piece of editorialising, the big screen switches instantly to a picture of Oliver Kahn sitting big and bemused on the German bench.
Imagine it. There are 18 minutes left and Germany have scored three times and are still in danger of dropping a point. If the hosts weren't so serious about it we'd all be slapping our thighs. Kahn up there on the big screen doesn't seem to be getting the humour in Germany's woeful defending, however, and all that keeps him from turning nasty is the knowledge that the Los Ticos defence have the first touch of elephants. Something will always turn up.
Three minutes from the end and Costa Rica have declined to add any more real discomfort to Germany's night. Schweinsteiger rolls a knowing little ball out towards Frings, whose shot curls to the top corner giving him the goal he deserved back at the start of the match. Germany have restored their cushion and a little of their self-respect.
Klinsmann looks about the stadium, not quite sure what to expect.
There have been periods when his side have looked masterful and periods where they have looked lost.
Day one, though, and the neutral could hardly have asked for more.
REPLACEMENTS
Germany: Neuville for Klose (76 mins), Odnonkor for Schneider (90 mins). Subs not used: Asamoah, Ballack, Hildebrand, Hitzlsperger, Huth, Jansen, Kahn, Nowotny.
Costa Rica: Drummond for Martinez (66 mins), Bolanos for Solis (76 mins). Subs not used: Alfaro, Badilla, Bernard, Hernandez, Mesen, Nunez, Rodriguez, Saborio, Wallace. Yellow card: Fonseca.
Referee: Horacio Elizondo (Argentina).
