LiveBlog: Germany-Costa Rica

Germany wins 4-2 to kick off the start of the 2006 World Cup. Read the entire play-by-play below and feel free to leave your comments about the match.

Fulltime Germany 4-2. German goals by Lahm, Klose (2) and Frings. Costa Rica gets a pair of goals from Wanchope. Germany controlled most of the match but showed it has some vulnerabilities. What a start to the 2006 World Cup!

90:00 Three minutes of added time. Can Germany score another bomb? Podolski has a chance in the box but doesn’t hit it.

89:24 These Teamgeist balls are going to give keepers trouble all tournament. Those things sure do move in the air when they are hammered. Schneider comes off and Odonkor on for Germany. 4-2 Germany.

88:11 Don’t know the records but I can’t recall six goals ever being scored in an opener. The first goal by Lahm and this last one by Frings were both outstanding.

86:32 GOALLLLLL!!!! Torstern Frings with an absoulte bomb from 40 yards outside. Drills it into the corner. Wow, what a goal 4-2 Germany.

85:02 Germany leads 3-2 with five minutes to go. If you are just joining us at this point what the hell have you been doing the past 85 minutes? Interesting and exciting first game of the 2006 World Cup.

83:33 German teams in the past would close a game out like this no problem. Of course German teams in the past wouldn’t have put themselves in this position to begin with. Not super impressed with the host country’s chances in this tournament.

81:47 Germany maintains the attack. Costa Rica has really only had two chances and they have finished both. Close offside calls on each but the goals stand. Still 3-2 Germany.

80:21 Anyone else out there rooting for Wanchope to finish off the game with a hat-trick?

78:39 Klose comes out to a round of applause. Nueville in. Klose celebrates his birthday with two World Cup goals. Happy birthday to you, sir.

77:19 Solis in for Bolanos for Costa Rica. Do the Ticos have it in them to score one more in the final 13? This could be quite a finish.

76:25 The Ticos fans on their feet emploring their team to come up with one more. I’m not going out on the streets of Berlin if Germany folds the last 15 minutes.

74:05 Five goals in the first game. What a World Cup this could turn out to be! Klose and Wanchope vying for the Golden Boot.

72:16 GOALLLLLL!!! Paulo Wanchope busts lose for another one. Close to being offside but no call. He hammers his second goal of the game and suddenly it is interesting again. 3-2 Germany

71:11 World Cup Willy Kehl enters the game to replace Borowski in the midfield. Hope his shorts don’t malfunction.

69:02 Michael Ballack sits comfortably on the bench. Germany has hardly missed him. Can you imagine if Germany were actually playing a good team and Ballack/Klinsmann weren’t on the same page?

67:45 Weak corner kick from Costa Rica. I think we have seen all the fight we are going to see out of the Ticos. Play with some pride boys. There is only one World Cup opener.

65:43 The Pigman is down on the pitch with an injury. Drummod on for Cosa Rica. The dreadlocks make their first World Cup appearance.

64:14 3-1 Germany. Raise your hand if you think Costa Rica will come back to win. I’m not seeing many hands. The only suspense remaining is whether Klose will get a hat-trick.

62:14 Lahm and the Pigman have dominated Costa Rica on the left wing. Credit to Lahm for playing so well with a broken wing. Klose is the ultimate poacher.

60:44 GOAAAAAAL!!!! Klose finished off the cross from Lahm to put Germany up 3-1. Klose was stopped on his initial header but got the rebound and burried it home. Second goal of the game for Klose. Golden Boot anyone?

57:55 Just after I call him useless Fonseca comes up with a nice defensive play closing down Lahm near the box. Score is still 2-1 Germany.

54:54 Costa Rica with a set piece and the referee blows the whistle. Is there a more useless player in this game than Costa Rica’s Fonseca? Guy has done nothing positive out there for the Ticos.

51:57 Germany has 14 shots, Costa Rica 2. Still 2-1 to the host country with all three goals scored in the first 18 minutes of play.

51:07 Germany with the corner and it is cleared away. Do you suppose there is a typo on the Costa Rica keeper’s jersey? It says “Porras” but I think they mean “Porous”

48:45 Slow start to the second half as each side tries to feel each other out. You can bet both coaches talked about defensive mistakes at halftime.

46:30 Costa Rica looking to create something on the offensive end. They’ll need to control possession more this half. Can’t afford to start the World Cup with a loss. Only one team in the last two tournaments has lost an opening round game and advanced.

45:02 We’re underway in the second half. No changes for either side. Podolski skys a shot right away.

Halftime cont… Almost every commercial on German television involves Oliver Khan. I’m starting the second half with a very tasty German lager. Let’s hope for another great half.

Halftime Germany 2-1. Goals from Lahm and Klose for Germany. Wanchope for Costa Rica. I’m going to get more beer. Your thoughts on the first half?

44:45 Some random thoughts on the first half. Great start to the World Cup. Costa Rica’s right backs stink. Germany is very suceptible to counterattacks. The Pigman has had a huge first half. Wanchope is ageless.

42:00 Germany corner kick. Costa Rica concedes another corner. The Pigman takes it and it is plonked over the crossbar by Metzhelder.

39:01 Schweinsteiger (Pigman) looks like a freakin’ iguana. Too bad he is having a hell of a game because I really want to dislike hime. Podolski with a rocket over the cross bar off a set piece. What is up with the pigman’s hair?

36:15 Shot of the Costa Rica fans dancing in the stands. If only their backline could move so well. Germany is strong on their left attack.

35:26 Maybe the setting is really bad on this tv but that referee’s shirt blinds my eyes everytime he makes a call. CR with a set piece that goes over the endline.

33:00 After three goals in the first 18 minutes we’ve slowed down a bit. I was hoping this one would end 15-14. Score is still 2-1 Germany.

32:15 I need a nickname for SCHWEINSTEIGER. His name is waaaaaay too long to constantly type, especially since he is controlling this game on the left side.

29:57 Fonseca picks up the first yellow card of the 2006 World Cup. Does FIFA give him a special award for that? Still 2-1 Germany.

28:54 It hurts to watch Paulo Wanchope run he is so old, but he is causing some problems for the German defense. Remember when Germany has an impentrable backline? Those days are long gone. This German team is more vulnerable but also more fun to watch.

27:24 Podolski and Schweinsteiger working well together. That bastard Sepp Blatter shown chewing gum in the stands. Hot woman in front of him. Corner for Germany cleared away by CR. 2-1 Germany.

26:26 So what do you think. Will that first goal by Lahm be one of the top 10 of this tournament? It was a beauty.

24:57 When I was 7 years old my mom made me wear a striped shirt like the one worn by Costa Rica’s coach. Join the 90s buddy!

23:13 2-1 Germany. Wouldn’t want to be a keeper for either of these teams. Their backlines are playing like arse. Meanwhile they keep showing Oliver Kahn smiling on the sideline. Mine eyes have seen the horror…

21:27 Podolski rips a shot from outside the box but handled without a problem by the CR keeper. How old is #12 Gonzalez? He looks like my 5-year-old nephew.

19:03 I’m working up a sweat here. Three goals in the first 18 minutes. Lehmann possibly hurt. Oliver Khan smiling on the sidelines. My god it is coming fast and furious.

16:47 GOALLLLL! Miroslav Klose taps in a cross from Bastian Schweinsteiger and Germany leads 2-1. Where was the Costa Rica on that play? Great touch from Schweinsteiger.

15:00 Not many World Cup competitions start with this much firepower this early. Will this be the start of a high scoring competition? We shall see.

14:01 The German defense sure broke down on that Costa Rica goal. They might have been trying an offside trap but Wanchope was wide open. The veteran Tico playing in his final international competition breathes life into his side.

11:34 GOALLLLLLL. Paulo Wanchope breaks free for a clean goal. Was he offside? Close but looks like he was a step on. 1-1. What a start to the World Cup!

10:15 The only thing worse than the play of Costa Rica is there kits. Come on, Joma, you can do better than that! Still 1-0 Germany.

9:15 Schwinsteiger and Lahm are dominating on the left wing. Costa Rica has no answer. Klose almost breaks through. The Ticos defense had more holes than Swiss cheese.

7:00 The Costa Rica keeper was helpless on that goal. The new Teamgeist ball seemed to defy physics. This could be a long night for the Ticos.

5:10 GOAAAAAAAAAAL. Philipp Lahm with a brilliant cracker from just inside the corner of the box. Burries it in the corner. Lots of movement on the ball in air. Stunning start to the World Cup . 1-0 Germany

2:56 Frings with a cracker from outside the box just goes over the crossbar. An early German goal could spell doom for the Ticos.

2:05 Germany controlling the ball in its offensive end. Poor Lahm is playing with a cast on his arm. I did that when I was a little kid.

:37 The Argentine ref makes his first call. Wow is his shirt bright! He won’t be hit by any cars if he bikes home after the game.

Kickoff The 2006 World Cup is underway on a gloriously sunny day in Munich, Germany. The long wait is finally over and billions around the world can now rejoice. A month of football is now ahead of us. What a great time to be alive.

Pregame: If you are looking for an online stream of the game, check here.

3 minutes to go: All rise for the national anthem of Germany. A classic tune if there ever was one. The crowd is singing it in full voice. Even the players seem to know the words. Good job lads!

4 minutes to go: The Costa Rica national anthem is played. It is a nice upbeat tune, perhaps a little too heavy on the snare but otherwise quite pleasant, just like the country it represents.

5 minutes to go: The flags of both countries are brought out onto the pitch and the Argentina referee leads the players out of the tunnel, each holding onto a child’s hand. What a wonderful scene it is in Munich just minutes before the 2006 World Cup. Flags are everywhere and the crowd is electric.

10 minutes to go: The players are lined up in the tunnel. The Munich crowd is waving the flags of Germany. Captain Michael Ballack comes out of the tunnel. The crowd is simply amazing with a display of colored flags. Simply awesome.

15 minutes to go: Jurgen Klinsmann looking very good in a button down blue shirt without a tie. He looks fit enough to play today. If Podolski and Klose don’t come through maybe Klini should lace them up.

20 minutes to go: Oliver Kahn sighting. My eyes recoil in horror. Time to crack open a beer. In honor of my friends in the US I we will be partaking in a little Budweiser - the Czech version. Stuff tastes much better than the paint thinner in your country.

25 minutes to go: I see a lot of you are picking Germany to win this game. Did you know that Costa Rica has never lost an opening match in the World Cup? They won both their opening matches in their two previous World Cups.

3o minute to go: It is a beautiful day in Munich. The sun is out and the temperature is 70F/21C. Ideal football weather.

36 minutes to go: German television shows a handful of Costa Rica fans in the crowd. They will be greatly outnumbered tonight but what a thrill it must be for the Ticos fans to see their team in person at the World Cup.

43 minutes to go: Germany’s starting lineup announced. Michael Ballack will not be starting. Tim Borowski takes his spot.

1 GK LEHMANN Jens - (Arsenal, ENG), 3 DF FRIEDRICH Arne - (Hertha Berlin, GER), 16 DF LAHM Philipp - (Bayern Munich, GER), 17 DF MERTESACKER Per - (Hanover 96, GER), 21 DF METZELDER Christoph - (Borussia Dortmund, GER), 7 MF SCHWEINSTEIGER Bastian - (Bayern Munich, GER), 18 MF BOROWSKI Tim - (Werder Bremen, GER), 8 MF FRINGS Torsten - (Werder Bremen, GER), 9 FW HANKE Mike - (Wolfsburg, GER), 11 FW KLOSE Miroslav - (Werder Bremen, GER), 20 FW PODOLSKI Lukas - (FC Cologne, GER)

48 minutes to go - A parade of flags has marched through the satdium and there has been plenty of lederhosen spotted. Guys playing giant cowbells. Random music from around the world. The stadium is alrady filled with fans. It is a time to make friends.

1:15 minutes to go - They are parading champions from all the former teams. It is awesome to see the players from teams like ‘66 England, ‘78 Argentina, etc. Pele and Claudi Schiffer led the parade carrying the trophy all the teams are playing for.

Our men in Munich report long lines at security to get into the stadium. Tickets and identifications are being checked. There is a festive feeling as the host country gets set to kick off the competition.