Germany, Ecuador open with victories

~ The host Germans kicked off group play with a 4-2 win.

Plenty of goals, no major security issues and a win for the hosts -- the World Cup got off to a feel-good start Friday.

Germany beat Costa Rica 4-2 in the tournament opener while Ecuador beat Poland 2-0 in the day's other Group A game.

Despite thousands of Poland fans crossing the border to get to their team's game in Gelsenkirchen, there were no major security problems reported on the World Cup's first day.

As police monitored potential trouble spots, particularly with England playing in one of today's three games, FIFA vowed hooligan activities and racist behavior would be closely monitored, with offending fans expelled from stadiums and banned from attending games.

The tournament got under way in Munich with the showiness of the opening ceremony and the highest-scoring opening match since the World Cup began in 1930.

Germany striker Miroslav Klose celebrated his 28th birthday by scoring two goals while Philipp Lahm and Torsten Frings added the others for Germany.

The host nation never dominated its unheralded opponent but showed the determination it will need to go a long way by overcoming two goals from Costa Rica's Paulo Wanchope.

The capacity crowd of 66,000 gave the team a standing ovation.

"That's how I imagined this day more or less," Klose said. "Every opener is difficult and we are pleased that we won. The goals we conceded were our own fault. We must recover better after losing possession."

In the late match, Ecuador striker Agustin Delgado set up a first-half goal and scored in the 80th to quiet a boisterous pro-Poland crowd with a 2-0 victory.