MUNICH (Reuters) - The 18th World Cup got off to a thrilling start as hosts Germany defeated Costa Rica 4-2 under clear blue skies on Friday in the highest-scoring opening match in the history of the tournament.
Although deprived of captain Michael Ballack through injury, the Germans triumphed in front of 66,000 fans at Munich's futuristic Allianz Arena, with around a billion more watching on television around the world.
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