Philipp Lahm's opening shot for 2006 summer fairytale | OneFootball

Surely no German football fan will ever forget the flight of this ball. On 9 June 2006 – exactly 20 years ago – FC Bayern legend Philipp Lahm scored the first goal of the World Cup in Germany in the opening match against Costa Rica at Munich’s Allianz Arena. It proved to be the opening shot for the “summer fairytale” of 2006 – a ripple that later turned into a wave of euphoria across the whole land.

The home World Cup was just six minutes old when the then 22-year-old curled a precise shot into the corner from the left edge of the penalty area. Costa Rica goalkeeper José Francisco Porras had no chance as the German team got off to a perfect start. Miroslav Klose then scored a brace on his 28th birthday, with Torsten Frings also on target in the 4-2 victory for Jürgen Klinsmann’s side, who unleashed the wave of euphoria that spread across the whole of the country over the subsequent weeks. Even though Germany only finished third in the end, summer 2006 remains unforgettable to German fans.

How far Die Nationalelf can do this year will be revealed over the coming weeks at the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and USA. The tournament kicks off on Thursday with the curtain-raiser between co-hosts Mexico and South Africa at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. For Germany, it begins on 14 June in Houston against Curaçao (19:00 CEST).

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