MUNICH, Germany, June 9 (UPI) -- Miroslav Klose scored a pair of goals Friday in leading a relentless German offense to a 4-2 victory over Costa Rica in the first game of the 2006 World Cup.
Klose, celebrating his 28th birthday, broke a 1-1 tie 17 minutes into the first half and added a second-half goal that proved to be the game-winner.
Klose's two-goal effort was matched by Costa Rica's Paul Wanchope, but Costa Rica could manage little else offensively.
Germany pressured Costa Rica goaltender Jose Porras throughout the contest -- outshooting Costa Rica 21-4 -- and broke through six minutes into the contest when Philipp Lahm curled in a shot off the right side of the goal. Costa Rica quieted a partisan crowd in Munich six minutes later when Wanchope beat German goaltender Jens Lehmann.
But in the 17th minute, Klose took a deft pass from Bastian Schweinsteiger and slipped it into the goal, putting Germany ahead 2-1.
The score stayed that way until the 61st minute when Klose followed his own blocked header and got the ball past Possas. Wanchope pulled Costa Rica back within one goal 12 minutes after that, but Torsten Frings sealed the victory for Germany on a free kick with three minutes to play.
Germany meets Poland in its second game next Wednesday while Costa Rica faces Ecuador in Group A play on Thursday. Group A plays wraps up June 20.
