So we're off. And what an opening match it was. Not the greatest of games, but extremely entertaining.

In many ways the match was a confirmation of all we knew about the German team. Very offensive, trying to overwhelm the opposition through the number of players attacking, highly doubtful central defence.

We dominated the midfield throughout the entire match, with Schneider and Schweinsteiger playing their direct opponents off the park, helped by the ovrlapping Lahm on the left and - occasionally - Friedrich on the right. Frings gave Fonseca too much space, but won most duels and, of course, scored a wonderful goal. Schweinsteiger pushed too much inside in the second half, but still showed is currently the form-midfielder in the German team. Klose put his World Cup goal total at 7 and might end the tournamen in double figures, easily outshining Podolski.

Unfortunately there's still our central defence. Wanchope, not exactly a world class striker, did with them what he wanted. The only reason both will be playing again against Poland is that neither Nowotny nor Huth are really seen as alternatives.

Costa Rica was too weak to serve as a test for our title ambitions. Poland on Thursday in their last-chance match will be tougher, although judging from last night's other match, it will only the in the second round that the harsh reality might catch up with Germany.

So far, though, this was quite precisely the start we needed.

So where's the World Cup fever?

I am probably not the right person to ask. I work for a company selling sports goods, I am married to a Brazilian, and I am generally a football person.

So let's ask the Munich Board of Commerce: "Hotels are 60% full, lots of normal tourists are avoiding the World Cup weeks". Let's look at the windows for flags. Here and there, you can find some. Germany, but also Italy, Croatia, Serbia and Brazil. Munich is a international city, we have over 20 per cent foreigners. Let's listen on the underground. Yes, it's been talk of the day for the past weeek or so. But fever?

Not a lot, really. Might be different in other cities, but I suppose it isn't. There's too much anger about ticketing, about sponsor prostitution. And one more thing: The average German is not as football-mad as the average Englishman or Brazilian. Something the organizers tried to hide from you.

Still, there's something that can be felt as well. I'd call it the calm before the storm. People here are ready to explode. Ready for euphoria. With all the bad news from politics, the economy and from Klinsmann's team itself. It all depends on how we'll do tonight.

The news is a bit confusing. Yesterday Klinsmann announced Ballack won't be playing. Later that afternoon Ballack said "I am fit to play". I hadn't expected them to start these silly games at the very first match, but it may also have been down to the criticism Ballack received for apparently not taking his injury seriously. Germany line-up will be Lehmann - Friedrich, Mertesacker, Metzelder, Lahm - Schneider, Frings, Borowski (Ballack), Schweinsteiger, Klose, Podolski.

It won't matter though.

We'll win 3-0, with or without Ballack. It just has to happen.

Jens Lehmann used to be not too eager to play in Munich. He was always regarded as Kahn's big rival, and thereore jeered at by the FC Bayern crowd. When asked yesterday, whether he feared playing in Munich, his answer was "I expect there will be plenty of people from Eastern, Western and Northeren Germany, too." He's absolutely correct. The crowd tomorrow will be in no way comparable to a German league match. For better or worse (I'm a supporter of Bayern's local rival, so I'd say for better). Lehmann will hear no booing and no heckling.

What was interesting was that the attitude of Germany spectators at our last test match against Columbia was remarkably different from the usual "Let's wait and see what happens". Whistling and booing is qutie common at Germany matches, if the team plays badly. None of that at Mönchengladbach on Friday. The crowd felt, more than I've ever seen at home matches, as SUPPORTERS rather than a theatre audience. We'll see whether it's going to be like that from tomorrow on. I certainly hope so.

Alright, just one day to go.

High time for some new blog on the World Cup,.

As if there wasn't enough crap published these days.

This blog is supposed to be about Munich during the World Cup and about the World Cup in Munich. It's supposed to be for an international audience, which is why I'm writing it in English. I'm German though, therefore mistakes in my language are likely to happen. I hope nobody will mind too much. I will, but who am I?

So let's get started. 5 matches will be played in Munich, the first of course the opening match tomorrow, the last one a semifinal. We also host the broadcasting centre, which means lots of journalists and technical staff crowding our underground trains.

I will be going to just one match, unless some miracle happens or I win something in the McDonald's lottery. It's going to be Serbia-Montenegro v Cote d'Ivoire, which will be either quite hot because it's the last game of the group or absolutely boring because it's the last game of the group. The latter, if both teams lose their respective first two matches against Argentina and the Netherlands.

The World Cup, this is something I can tell right now, will be happening more beyond than in the stadium. There will be lots of public viewing possibilities, the largest the "FAN FESTs" with tens of thousands people watching the big screen, but each pub and biergarten is likely to have a better atmosphere than the celebrity-clad, sponsor-bedecked stadia.

More later.