Hosts Germany got of to a flying start in their 2006 FIFA World Cup campaign by beating Costa Rica 4-2 in the opening game on Friday. A spectacular strike from Philipp Lahm opened the score line for Germany before Miroslav Klose celebrated his 28th birthday with a brace. Torsten Frings fired home Germany's fourth while veteran striker Paulo Wanchope scored Costa Rica's two goals. The result put Germany atop their Group A tentatively with 3 points as they wait on the result from the second group game between Poland and Ecuador. Lahm put Germany in front as early as the 6th minute with a brilliant curling drive from the edge of the area. Wanchope stunned around 60,000 fans in the Allianz Arena when he escaped the offside trap to go one-on-one with Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann and nudge the ball home past the on rushing Arsenal keeper in the 12th minute.
Wanchope's double earned Costa Rica respect Five minutes later, Klose connected with Bastian Schweinsteiger's low cross to open his goal account and regain the lead for the Mannschaft. Play was reduced to pedestrian pace midway through the first-half and remained so until Klose extended Germany's lead one minute past the hour. The Bremen ace met a cross with a deft header that was astoundingly parried away by Costa Rica keeper Jose Francisco Porras, but the prolific striker was quick to react and slotted home on the rebound. Wanchope kept Costa Rica's chances alive with a second goal in the 73rd minute that appeared to have come from an offside position. Frings settled the game in favor of the hosts when he rifled home a long range drive past the fully stretched Porras with three minutes left to play. Germany next take on Poland on June 14th while Costa Rica face Ecuador on the 15th.
