MUNICH - What a start! Germany kicked off the World Cup by beating Costa Rica 4-2 Friday in the highest-scoring opener in tournament history.

The host nation's performance could inspire Juergen Klinsmann's young and inexperienced team a long way as it looks to add a fourth World Cup title.

Germany's Torsten Frings jubilates after scoing the 4th goal for his team during the Germany v Costa Rica Group A soccer match at the World Cup stadium, Munich, Germany, Friday, June 9, 2006. Germny won the mtch 4-2. The other teams in Group A are Ecuador and Poland. [AP]

"If the players want to go out tonight and have a beer, they can do it," Klinsmann said.

Particularly Miroslav Klose, who eased the absence of captain Michael Ballack by scoring twice on his 28th birthday.

"That's how I imagined this day, more or less," Klose said. "Every opener is difficult and we are pleased that we won."

Klose scored three goals in Germany's opener in 2002, an 8-0 win over Saudi Arabia, but that wasn't the opening match of the tournament. Germany then went on to reach the final, losing to Brazil.

This victory could provide a real boost, too.

"We wanted to play well and get the fans involved. We were a little bit nervous. We made some mistakes, but they happen," Klinsmann said. "We can draw a lot of positives from this game."

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