Salvador: Germany had registered his victory by 4-0 against Portugal.
Billed as the one truly big ticket first round game in Brazil, it totally lived up to its hype – and type. Within 40 minutes, Germany were already two goals up, and Portugal 10 men down.
Thomas Mueller got a hat-trick, the first of the Cup here.
The manner in which Germany were raiding the rival penalty area meant it was only a matter of time before they would benefit from it.
Matt Hummels showed his strength in the air after their 12th minute opening goal when he rose over both Bruno Alves and Pepe – the tallest and most powerfully-built men in the Portuguese ranks – off a 35th minute service corner to put Germany 2-0 up.
The vital gap in the Portuguese defence having been created, Mueller latched on to a Toni Kross offering from the left. Alves made a mess of the clearance and the German – a veteran of such action at the age of 24 – latched on to it to make it 3-0 for Germany.
Ten minutes from the end, Muller capped off a typically frenetic, high-activity performance with his third goal.
Bureau Report
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