Plenty of goals, no major security issues and a win for the hosts - the World Cup got off to a feel-good start Friday.
Germany beat Costa Rica 4-2 in the tournament opener to take the early lead in Group A from Ecuador, which beat Poland 2-0 in the day’s other game.
Despite thousands of Poland fans crossing the border to get to their team’s game in Gelsenkirchen, there had been no reported major security problems on Day One.
As police monitored potential flashpoints, particularly with England playing in one of Saturday’s three games, FIFA said hooligan activities and racist behaviour will be closely monitored, with offending fans expelled from stadiums and banned from attending games.
The tournament got underway in Munich with the showiness of the opening ceremony and the highest-scoring opening match since the World Cup began in 1930.
Germany striker Miroslav Klose celebrated his 28th birthday by scoring two goals while Philipp Lahm and Torsten Frings added the others for Germany.
The host nation never dominated its unheralded opponent but suggested it has the determination to go a long way by recovering from Paulo Wanchope’s two goals.
The capacity crowd of 66,000 gave the team a standing ovation.
“That’s how I imagined this day more or less,” Klose said. “Every opener is difficult and we are pleased that we won. The goals we conceded were our own fault. We must recover better after losing possession.”
Germany captain Michael Ballack missed the game with a right-calf injury but “can now heal in peace,” Lahm said.
“If the players want to go out tonight and have a beer, they can do it,” Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann added.
Fears that security checks could lead to long queues were eased as almost 60,000 fans filed into the Munich stadium without problems.
There was no sign of trouble outside the stadium, despite a line that snaked hundreds of yards at times from the perimeter gates to a nearby railway station.
Most fans reported waits of only 10 to 20 minutes.
“The Germans are pretty efficient,” local fan Sophie Spindler said. “We didn’t think there’d be much trouble.”
Police removed a World Cup banner with swastikas from a Munich bridge after receiving a call from a motorist who saw it next to the words “FIFA World Cup” and “Germany.”
In the late match, Ecuador striker Agustin Delgado set up a first-half goal and scored in the 80th to quiet a boisterous pro-Poland crowd with a 2-0 victory.
Ecuador led on Carlos Tenorio’s 24th-minute headed goal and Delgado doubled the lead with an easy finish in front of the net. Poland finally made chances late on, hitting the goalpost twice in the final minutes.
Ecuador is tied with Germany atop Group A.
England starts its quest for a first title since 1966 when it plays Paraguay in Group B on Saturday in Frankfurt. The focus will be on its fans as well as stars such as David Beckham and the sidelined Wayne Rooney, who was declared fit to stay with the team, but isn’t likely to play against the South Americans.
German security forces are paying extra attention because of the hooligan reputation of some England fans. Two were involved in a skirmish with a knife-wielding Greek in Frankfurt’s red-light district late Thursday, while three were arrested in Cologne for a brawl with a taxi driver.
Both sides look to have injured key players ready to play, with England midfielder Steven Gerrard and Paraguay striker Roque Santa Cruz both training.
Also in Group B, Sweden will play Trinidad and Tobago in Dortmund.
Saturday’s other game has two-time champion Argentina against Ivory Coast in Group C in Hamburg.
Argentina’s teenage forward Lionel Messi has recovered from a thigh injury and is ready to come off the bench, making Jose Pekerman one of the few coaches with a fully fit squad.
“Messi is in very good shape and if he’s in good shape, we’re in good shape,” Pekerman said.
Ivory Coast, probably the strongest of the five African teams at the tournament, will be led by Chelsea striker Didier Drogba.
“On paper they (Argentina) are better than us, but I think if we are here it’s because we deserve it,” Drogba said. “It’s going to be hard but one can dream about it. Anything is possible in the World Cup.”
0 responses so far ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.
Leave a Comment