Germany P Lahm 6 M Klose 17 M Klose 61 T Frings 87 4-2 (2-1) Costa Rica P Wanchope 12 P Wanchope 73     Bookings: D Fonseca 31 GERMANYCOSTA RICA Possession 57% 43% Shots on target 11 4 Shots off target 12 1 Corners 7 3 Fouls 11 11

Germany 01 J Lehmann 03 A Friedrich 17 P Mertesacker 21 C Metzelder 16 P Lahm 07 B Schweinsteiger 08 T Frings 18 T Borowski (72 S Kehl ) 19 B Schneider (90 D Odonkor ) 20 L Podolski 11 M Klose (79 O Neuville ) Subtitutes 14 G Asamoah, 13 M Ballack, 23 T Hildebrand, 15 T Hitzlsperger, 04 R Huth, 02 M Jansen, 12 O Kahn, 05 S Kehl, 10 O Neuville, 06 J Nowotny, 22 D Odonkor Costa Rica 18 J Porras 03 L Marin 04 M Umana 12 L Gonzalez 05 G Martinez (67 J Drummond ) 06 D Fonseca 08 M Solis (78 C Bolanos ) 10 W Centeno 20 D Sequeira 11 R Gomez (90 R Azofeifa ) 09 P Wanchope Subtitutes 23 W Alfaro, 14 R Azofeifa, 17 G Badilla, 13 K Bernard, 07 C Bolanos, 02 J Drummond, 16 C Hernandez, 01 A Mesen, 21 V Nunez, 22 M Rodriguez, 19 A Saborio, 15 H Wallace Ref: Horacio Marcelo Elizondo Att: 64950

Never before have so many goals been scored in the first match at a World Cup. Newspaper editors will be licking their lips at the prospect of a 'Frings can only get better' headline.

"I love goals, we all love goals, and it's been an incredible start. Going forward Germany were very, very good."
Alan Shearer, BBC Sport TV

"There's a lot of work for Jurgen Klinsmann to do at the back. The defence have to start communicating with each other."
Graham Taylor, Five Live Sport

FULL-TIME:Germany start the tournament with a win, although the performance is far from convincing.

90 + 2mins: Lukas Podolski gathers the ball with his back to goal on the edge of the six-yard box but cannot get it out from under his feet.

90 mins: Germany are pushing for a fifth and with three minutes added on they could get one.

88 mins: Randall Azofeifa comes on for Ronald Gomez and Germany bring on David Odonkor for skipper Bernd Schneider.

87 mins:The game's in the bag and the home crowd are happily singing their way to the final whistle. Any plans for post-match partying will not include the fan park at the Olympic Stadium after a message goes out asking supporters not to go there as it is already overcrowded.
Mandeep Sanghera, BBC Sport in Munich

85 mins: GOAL Germany 4-2 Costa Rica
Bastian Schweinsteiger plays a free-kick square and Torsten Frings fires in from 35 yards. His right-footed shot curls viciously away from Jose Porras.

It's all smiles on the Germany bench, especially from Michael Ballack, as you can feel the tension lift off their shoulders.
Mandeep Sanghera, BBC Sport in Munich

83 mins: The home support's clapping in unison is broken by piercing whistles after Bernd Schnieder goes down in the box. It is a blatant dive but there is no yellow card. The Fifa suits in the stands will not be happy after their directive to clamp down on simulation.

79 mins: Per Mertesacker gets a free header at the corner but it is parried by Jose Porras. The defender bears down on goal again as Germany pounce on the loose ball, but when his left foot needs to resemble a sand wedge on the byline, he clubs a driver over his team-mates and across the area. The chance is gone.

78 mins: Lukas Podolski's shot is deflected for a corner. The break in play heralds a German change with Miroslav Klose being replaced by Oliver Neuville.

77 mins: Costa Rica are going for it. Mauricio Solis, a holding midfielder, makes way for the more attack-minded Christian Bolanos, who had a trial at Liverpool earlier in the season.

75 mins: The noise is coming from the Costa Rican fans and it is game on again. After a lull it looks like we'll have a finish to match the thrilling start.

72 mins: GOAL Germany 3-2 Costa Rica
Paulo Wanchope shows why he is winning your vote with another neat finish. A good passing move ends with Walter Centeno bisecting the defence with a dinked pass and Wanchope waits for Jens Lehmann to commit before lifting it over the keeper.

PLAYER RATER: Despite his two goals, birthday boy Miroslav Klose is still trailing Paulo Wanchope.

71 mins: Time for a German change. Sebastian Kehl replaces Tim Borowski.

69 mins: Philip Lahm is enjoying the space on the left afforded him and races into the area but shoots tamely at Jose Porras with a defender hot on his heels.

68 mins: This time Torsten Frings is down but Argentine referee Horacio Marcelo Elizondo ignores his pleas for treatment and the German midfielder is soon back on his feet.

65 mins: Costa Rica are lining up a change with Jervis Drummond coming on. The phrase that springs to mind involves horses bolting and garden gates. Gilberto Martinez makes way. He had been down without the Germans playing the ball out for him to get attention. Martinez trots off without receiving the physio's magic sponge.

63 mins: The game had fallen into one of those quiet spells but the goal has lifted spirits amongst the home support in the Allianz Arena. Germany could yet add more goals against a woeful defence.

61 mins: GOAL Germany 3-1 Costa Rica
The first German goalscorer combines with the second for a third goal for the host nation. Philip Lahm crosses from the left and, after seeing his initial header parried by Jose Porras, Miroslav Klose rifles in the rebound.

54 mins: Per Mertesacker looks to make up for a minute of mayhem, when he gave the ball away not once but twice, with a long-legged run upfield. His pass forward just evades Miroslav Klose, skipping off the turf on the bounce through to Jose Porras.

53 mins: Per Mertesacker's poor touch gifts the ball to Danny Fonseca with options around him, but the Costa Rican fails to make his opponent pay.

51 mins: Germany work a short corner but Lukas Podolski is unable to get a telling touch with his head on a dinked cross from Torsten Frings.

50 mins: Jose Porras claims a floated Torsten Frings cross and releases Paulo Wanchope, but the striker is completely isolated with seven white shirts nearer to him than any team-mate in red.

47 mins: Philip Lahm is forced into conceding a corner. Danny Fonseca makes the most of some atrocious marking but his low free header, from near the penalty spot, is wide.

1803 BST: The action resumes and Germany are immedaitely on the attack. A long ball forward to Miroslav Klose is half cleared and Lukas Podolski pounces but his shot, from well outside the area, rises over the bar.

Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann's side might be ahead but he cuts a nervous figure sat in his dug-out rubbing his hands as he awaits the start of the second half.
Mandeep Sanghera, BBC Sport in Munich

The defending has been diabolical and we're going to see better games than this, but the one thing we know about a German team over the years is that they get better as a tournament grows.
Graham Taylor, Five Live Sport

Costa Rica coach Alexandre Guimaraes will have to introduce some pace in attack to unsettle Germany and help his side back into the match.
Mandeep Sanghera, BBC Sport in Munich

HALF-TIME: Exciting and entertaining, but too many errors. That said, the home support in the Allianz Arena won't be too bothered so long as they can maintain their lead.

45 mins: Paulo Wanchope is on the wrong end of another poor offside call as he and Ronald Gomez work space along the line of the German rearguard. It's proving a thin line at times.

43 mins: This time the delivery is much better and Bastian Schweinsteiger's corner flashes across goal only for Christoph Metzelder to hammer his effort high and wide from six yards.

42 mins: A second corner for Germany and Walter Centeno needlessly hammers it out for another corner.

39 mins: All eyes are on Bastian Schweinsteiger at a free-kick but it is Lukas Podolski who steps up and curls an effort over the bar.

PLAYER RATER: Former Derby County, Manchester City and West Ham striker Paulo Wanchope is winning your vote as man of the match at the moment.

37 mins: This time it is Paulo Wanchope's turn to be pulled back for offside as he bears down on a bouncing throughball. He wasn't.

33 mins: After that frantic opening things have settled down - and slowed down - although the quality is still of a low grade. Miroslav Klose gets a sniff of goal but is pulled back for offside.

31 mins: Danny Fonseca picks up the first booking of the tournament.

29 mins: Paulo Wanchope goes on a mazy run down the left flank. Is he going down a cul-de-sac? Is there a wonder goal at the end of this? Per Mertesacker makes sure it's a dead-end with a firm challenge.

27 mins: A neat German move down the left ends with Miroslav Klose pulling the ball back for Tim Borowski but two Costa Rican defenders combine to stab the ball out for a corner.

23 mins: Jose Porras has problems with Bastian Schweinsteiger's long distance shot which bounces in front of him, but fortunately, for once, his defence are on their toes and on hand to clear his fumble.

21 mins: With defenders in such giving mood Germany's Lukas Podolski chances his arm from distance but Jose Porras is equal to the shot.

17 mins: GOAL Germany 2-1 Costa Rica
The goals do keep coming. Bastian Schweinsteiger bursts on to Bernd Schneider's pull back from the byline and, with an angled, defence-splitting pass he picks out the unmarked Miroslav Klose who slides the ball home at the far post.

16 mins: Despite the excitement of two early goals, the quality is actually pretty low. Poor passes and lazy touches all over the place, but if the goals keep coming we can't complain.

15 mins:Jurgen Klinsmann took shelter in his dug-out after the big screens seemed to show Costa Rica's goal was not offside but he is again standing in his technical area.
Mandeep Sanghera, BBC Sport in Munich

12 mins: GOAL Germany 1-1 Costa Rica
The German defence is furious with the linesman but replays show Paulo Wanchope was not offside as Ronald Gomez played a defence splitting pass. The former Premiership player waltzes through on Jens Lehmann and takes his time before picking his spot low to the keeper's right.

11 mins: The Costa Rica defence is all over the place. Miroslav Klose is able to climb between two defenders almost at will but is unable to direct his header on goal.

9 mins: Jose Porras is quick off his line to deny Miroslav Klose, but his defence dawdles on the ricochet and Bernd Schneider is gifted a sight of goal only to blaze over.

6 mins: GOAL Germany 1-0 Costa Rica
If the opening goal is a taste of things to come we're in for a cracker over the next month. Full-back Philip Lahm steps in on to his right foot and unleashes a sensational effort from the edge of the area which arrows into the top corner. An untidy passage of play ended with the ball breaking to the left-back and Danny Fonseca's slip gave him the space to strike on goal. Happy days for the hosts.

3 mins: The ball bobbles about and breaks for Torsten Frings who unleashes a fierce drive from 10 yards outside the area which is just over the crossbar.

1 min: Costa Rica win an early free-kick in the German half, but Douglas Sequeira is unable to get on the end of it. He also fails to put the brakes on in time to prevent him from clattering into the hoardings.

1700 BST: After 847 qualifying matches the World Cup starts for real. Costa Rica get the ball rolling.

1659 BST: The two national anthems and formalities are out of the way but before the kick-off there is a minute's silence for the members of Fifa who have died in the four years since the last World Cup.

1653 BST: The teams walk out into the Allianz Arena with Bernd Schneider leading the hosts in place of Michael Ballack. They are greeted by a crescendo of noise and the flashbulbs of the press corps on the touchline are focused on German coach Jurgen Klinsmann.

1650 BST:The crowd join in with the PA announcer as the German team is read out with the pictures being seen on the two big screens. The first game of the 2006 World Cup is almost upon us.
Mandeep Sanghera, BBC Sport in Munich

1644 BST:"The coach says Michael is not playing in the morning then Michael says he is fit later. I hope there will not be a row!"
Boris Becker

1633 BST:The Costa Rica players are now out for their warm-up and a vociferous greeting from the flame red corner of the stadium should help them settle.
Mandeep Sanghera, BBC Sport in Munich

1627 BST:Michael Ballack might not be in the German side but he makes the day of some fans close to the pitch as he poses for a couple of pictures with them.
Mandeep Sanghera, BBC Sport in Munich

1622 BST: A meticulously planned and executed operation has seen the pitch already cleared and ready for the players. Rapturous cheers greet the German team as they come out to warm-up on the carpet-like pitch. Costa Rica are playing it cool with only a few of their players out.
Mandeep Sanghera, BBC Sport in Munich

1618 BST: A small forest has been cut down to produce the plethora of World Cup supplements in recent weeks and the majority said Germany's man to watch was Michael Ballack. Attention now turns to the creative influence of Tim Borowski or Bastian Schweinsteiger.

1610 BST:I'm struggling to find real quality in the German team.
Alan Hansen, BBC Sport TV

1600 BST: The Allianz Arena is a kaleidoscope of colour with the opening ceremony in full swing, but never mind Pele, Claudia Schiffer and a host of former footballing superstars parading the World Cup, the big news is German skipper Michael Ballack will not start.

Germany: Lehmann, Friedrich, Mertesacker, Metzelder, Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Frings, Borowski, Schneider, Podolski, Klose.
Subs: Asamoah, Ballack, Hildebrand, Hitzlsperger, Huth, Jansen, Kahn, Kehl, Neuville, Nowotny, Odonkor.

Costa Rica: Porras, Marin, Umana, Gonzalez, Martinez, Fonseca, Solis, Centeno, Sequeira, Gomez, Wanchope.
Subs: Alfaro, Azofeifa, Badilla, Bernard, Bolanos, Drummond, Hernandez, Mesen, Nunez, Rodriguez, Saborio, Wallace.

Referee: Horacio Marcelo Elizondo (Argentina)