Goals?!

Last night's performance by Germany was about as German as enchiladas.

That's not a bad thing, in case you were wondering. It was great to be 'German' from a footballing sense in the 70s, but German football these days is known more for its coach that prefers to hang with the Yanks than eat frankfurts, aimless football and that 5-0 drubbing by England a few years back (the latter being slightly more than optional).

So when they announced that the 2006 World Cup would be kicked off by the host nation, everyone from the pirated DVD peddler down the block to some drunk in a bar in Edinburgh heaved a heavy sigh. Remember what happened when Germany kicked off the 1994 edition? Yeah precisely, I don't either. But I do remember nearly throwing this Coke can I was holding at the TV at some point in the match.

Phillip Lahm, reels away after the stunner

But like I said, Germany wasn't exactly Germany yesterday. With marauding runs by Schweinsteiger and Schneider on either flanks and with Borowski challenging and passing well in the centre, Germany actually looked pretty damn exciting. Which is about as logical as saying veggie burgers are delicious. 4-2 just about paid the dues for the last couple of World Cups that began with a dull thud. That's not to say Germany look like potential champions, seeing as Costa Rica were not exactly the Great Wall defensively. But the fact that Germany were actually running (gasp), dribbling (gasp gasp) and scoring (faint) showed that this Cup could yet produce a surprise or two. The Geek sits back in his lazy boy and awaits the arrival of the future champions tonight - England.

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