GERMANY 4-2 COSTA RICA

Hang on, World Cup opening games are supposed to be goalless bore-draws aren't they. Or if the scorekeeper is troubled, it's normally for a scrappy penalty area fumble or painful deflection. We're certainly not used to long-range thunderbolts like Philip Lahm's opening curler, or Fring's decisive final blow. ("Fring's that make you go hmmmm" as the Sun's back page perhaps?)

And linesmen getting it right, what the? Wanchope was definitely offside wasn't he? Well that's what I was saying to the dog on the sofa when I saw his first goal, but the replay told another story - a very tight but 100% accurate decision.

The Germans looked pretty good. Ok so their defense wasn't all that watertight, but they played well. Who do you think you are kidding Jurgen Klinsmann? On this occasion, nobody. What a great start to a World Cup management career.

The new ball? Well the Drury's still out on that one. Being 'keeper unfriendly might make the game more excting, but did you see how much it moves in the air on those long range kicks? You want the goalie to have some chance of stopping the shot - if the ball is moving around its original trajectory during flight how can he be expected to get a solid block to it? I forsee goals going in this year that would have been stopped previously. Probably the first of which being a last minute strike from Paraguay tomorrow.

A great game on it's own merit, but all the more appealing as the opener to an already exiting tournament.

Now back to bed.