Germany v Costa Rica, 09 June 2006
| Score | 4-2 to Germany |
| Referee | Horacio Marcelo Elizondo |
| Competition | FIFA World Cup Finals Group A |
| Venue | Allianz Arena, Munich |
| Attendance | 64,950 |
View Germany v Costa Rica head to head
Kick-Off: 18:00 Local (17:00 BST)
Assistant referee:
Darío García (Argentina)
Rodolfo Otero (Argentina)
Fourth official:
Carlos Chandía (Chile)
Fifth official:
Cristian Julio (Chile)
Man of the Match:
Miroslav Klose (Germany)
This became the highest-scoring opening game in the history of the World Cup.
The previous best was the first-ever game in the competition when France beat Mexico 4-1 in Montevideo in 1930.
4
Germany
Manager: Jurgen Klinsmann
Goals:
| Philipp Lahm | 6 |
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| Miroslav Klose | 17 |
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| Miroslav Klose | 61 |
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| Torsten Frings | 87 |
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Starting lineup:
Goalkeeper
Jens Lehmann
Defender
Arne Friedrich
Defender
Philipp Lahm
Defender
Per Mertesacker
Defender
Christoph Metzelder
Midfielder
Tim Borowski
Midfielder
Torsten Frings
Midfielder
Bernd Schneider
(captain)
Midfielder
Bastian Schweinsteiger
Forward
Miroslav Klose
Forward
Łukasz Podolski
Substitutions:
| Sebastian Kehl for Tim Borowski | 72 |
| Oliver Neuville for Miroslav Klose | 79 |
| David Odonkor for Bernd Schneider | 90 |
Cards:
On the bench:
Goalkeeper
Timo Hildebrand
Goalkeeper
Oliver Kahn
Defender
Robert Huth
Defender
Marcell Jansen
Defender
Jens Nowotny
Midfielder
Michael Ballack
Midfielder
Thomas Hitzlsperger
Midfielder
Sebastian Kehl
Forward
Gerald Asamoah
Forward
Mike Hanke
Forward
Oliver Neuville
Forward
David Odonkor
Comments:
Germany continued the tradition of the host nation being unbeaten in their first game of the World Cup finals. Miroslav Klose scored a hat-trick in Germany's first game in the 2002 World Cup finals. Today was his 28th birthday. Germany have now won their first game in each of the last five World Cups. Philipp Lahm becomes the fourth German player to score the first goal of a World Cup finals tournament. The Bayern Munich full-back follows Josef Gauschel (1938), Paul Breitner (1974) and current Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann (1994).
2
Costa Rica
Manager: Alexandre Guimaraes
Goals:
| Paulo Wanchope | 12 |
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| Paulo Wanchope | 73 |
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Starting lineup:
José Porras
Goalkeeper
Leonardo Gonzalez
Defender
Gilberto Martinez
Defender
Michael Umaña
Defender
Luis Marin
Defender/Centre back
(captain)
Douglas Sequeira
Defender/Midfielder
Walter Centeno
Midfielder
Danny Fonseca
Midfielder
Mauricio Solis
Midfielder
Ronald Gomez
Forward
Paulo Wanchope
Forward
Substitutions:
| Jervis Drummond for Gilberto Martinez | 67 |
| Christian Bolaños for Mauricio Solis | 78 |
| Randall Azofeifa for Ronald Gomez | 90 |
Cards:
| Danny Fonseca | 31 | Y |
On the bench:
Goalkeeper
Wardy Alfaro
Goalkeeper
Alvaro Mesen
Defender
Gabriel Badilla
Defender
Jervis Drummond
Defender
Michael Rodriguez
Defender/Midfielder
Harold Wallace
Midfielder
Randall Azofeifa
Midfielder
Kurt Bernard Simpson
Midfielder
Christian Bolaños
Midfielder
Carlos Hernández
Forward
Victor Núñez
Forward
Alvaro Saborío