Salvador, June 16
Thomas Mueller's hat-trick inspired Germany to a 4-0 mauling of 10-man Portugal in their opening World Cup Group G match on Monday. The Germans delivered a sizzling attacking display that underlined their tag as strong title contenders and the match, billed as a clash of European heavyweights, was over as a contest by halftime.

"Three goals in one match, in the opening match against such an opponent is just great," Mueller told German television. "In the last four years I've had some experience in world soccer and I'm not the kind of guy who gets afraid," he added.

"We got into the match really well and had some half chances then suddenly we were ahead 2-0. In heat like this a lead like that is a great advantage." Two Mueller goals and a thumping Mats Hummels header blew away a Portugal side whose misery was compounded by a needless 37th-minute red card for Pepe.

The defender, furious at what he felt was "simulation" by Mueller following a slight collision between the two, was sent off for pushing his head into the German's face as he sat on the ground.

In their 100th World Cup match, the first team to reach the milestone, Germany were in the mood to party in the sapping Salvador sunshine and went ahead after 12 minutes through Mueller from the penalty spot after the clever Mario Goetze was hauled down.

Hummels powered home the second from a corner on 32 minutes before Mueller, top scorer at the World Cup four years ago, stole in ahead of a sleepy Bruno Alves to smash in the third in first-half stoppage-time.

The interchanging attack of Goetze, Mueller and Mesut Ozil bamboozled Portugal, whose talisman Cristiano Ronaldo was left a frustrated observer for much of the match, a late long-range free kick parried by Manuel Neuer his best moment.

With German Chancellor Angela Merkel watching in the crowd, Mueller completed the first hat-trick of the tournament after 78 minutes, prodding home a spilled Andre Schuerrle cross and extending his country's run of having won every opening World Cup match since 1990.

The demolition will send a strong message to Germany's rival title contenders in Brazil and left Portugal looking nervously at qualification with games against the U.S. and Ghana to come. — Reuters

Fortaleza, June 16
Brazil striker Hulk insists revenge is not on the agenda as the World Cup hosts bid to all but secure their place in the last 16 against rivals Mexico tomorrow. Mexico shattered Brazil’s dream of winning the only major prize missing from their honours list two years ago, when they stunned the South Americans 2-1 to claim the Olympic gold medal in London.

But Hulk insists there is no question of Brazil looking to settle a score as they face the Mexicans at Fortaleza’s Castelao Stadium. It is the same venue where they met in the group stage of the Confederations Cup last year when Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side claimed a 2-0 victory.

That success means a measure of revenge has already been exacted, and forward Hulk insisted that Brazil will only have one thing on their minds come kick-off on Tuesday.

“In the Confederations Cup we tried to think only about winning the game and it will be the same this time. If we think about revenge it could cause us problems,” said the powerful forward, who scored in the Olympic final clash.

Nevertheless, the Olympic defeat left its mark on him, Thiago Silva, Marcelo, Oscar and Neymar, the five members of Brazil’s 2014 squad who featured at Wembley.

“Of course I was very sad. It is a medal that Brazil have never won and we lost the final. Mexico are a very good team. I just hope the Selecao, in the next Olympics (in Rio de Janeiro), can win gold,” said Oscar. Of Tuesday’s encounter, the Chelsea player added: “It will certainly be as difficult as last year. In the World Cup there is an extra desire to win and I hope we can do so again this time. Mexico are a very different side to Croatia. They play the ball out from the back well and are very good on the counter-attack.”

The current Mexico side, featuring eight members of the gold medal-winning 2012 team, also started their campaign in positive fashion, beating Cameroon 1-0. Oribe Peralta scored the only goal in that game, although Brazil are quite familiar with his threat — he netted a brace in the Olympic final as well.

The hosts are more concerned by Mexico’s left wing-back Miguel Layun, the Club America player who was a constant danger against Cameroon and who could cause problems for the right side of the Brazil defence, where Dani Alves was frequently caught out against Croatia.

Neither Mexican coach Miguel Herrera nor his counterpart Scolari are likely to make many changes to their starting line-ups for the game, although the fitness of Hulk is a source of some worry for the latter after the Zenit St Petersburg player pulled out of training early on Sunday with a hamstring problem. — PTI

Brazilian striker Neymar (in pic) has played down talk that a yellow card in the World Cup opener against Croatia will force him into a less aggressive style of play, with fans and backroom staff worrying that a second caution could see him banned from a vital knock-out match. Neymar was lucky to escape with only a caution after elbowing Luka Modric in the throat midway through the first half of the 3-1 opening day win over Croatia. But the forward said he would not hold back in the remaining Group A encounters with Mexico and Cameroon despite the fears about suspension. “I am not worried, I am going to play to win the second game,” he said. “It’s not what I wanted but that’s the way it is. It’s all part and parcel. I am going to play my normal game. If I start thinking about it, that’ll make it worse.”

Of greatest concern to Mexico would appear to be the potential of Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir to be swayed by the pressure from the passionate home fans, after seeing the Selecao benefit from a controversial penalty award against Croatia. “It is not something you can compete against. You have to accept things and fight to try and prevent them from happening,” said Mexico captain Rafael Marquez, a veteran of four World Cups.

Rio de Janeiro, June 16
Lionel Messi finally made his mark on the World Cup and lit up the Maracana with his first goal in the finals for eight years but Argentina had to battle hard for a 2-1 win over debutantes Bosnia in their opening Group F match on Sunday.

Messi, four-times world player of the year and Argentina's best footballer since Diego Maradona graced the 1986 tournament, put his side 2-0 ahead on a night when the stadium was turned into little Buenos Aires by tens of thousands of his countrymen.

“It was important to start with a win and to get three points but we need to improve,” said man-of-the-match Messi. Although they took the lead in the third minute when Sead Kolasinac netted the fastest own goal in World Cup history, Argentina looked unconvincing until Messi struck with a dazzling run and sweet left-foot shot that went in off the post in the 65th minute after a one-two with substitute Gonzalo Higuain.

It was Messi's first goal in the finals since scoring in Argentina's 6-0 win over Serbia & Montenegro almost eight years ago to the day.

Belo Horizonte: Belgium’s vibrant young team are preparing to launch their World Cup campaign against Algeria tomorrow with competition hotting up on the training pitch ahead of the Group H clash. Seen as dark horses to lift the trophy, the richly talented squad is blessed with players such as Chelsea playmaker Eden Hazard, powerful striker Romelu Lukaku and Manchester City defender Vincent Kompany. Belgium have not appeared at a major international championships since the 2002 World Cup but they impressed in qualifying and will fancy their chances of matching their semifinal showing in Mexico in 1986. Despite their impressive playing resources, Belgium will come up against a side looking to cause an upset of their own to go alongside their shock win over eventual finalists West Germany in 1982. Despite that famous win, Algeria, taking part in their fourth World Cup, have never gone beyond the group stages.

Cuiaba: Out-of-sorts South Korea face a Russia side desperate to prove a point in Cuiaba tomorrow. The Korean’s fortunes have nose dived since the heady days of 2002 when they turned the formbook on its head by becoming the first Asian side to make it through to the semifinals. But before reaching their eighth consecutive World Cup, they struggled in qualifying, squeaking home only on goal difference. Coach Hong Myung-Bo is fretting over his Taeguk Warriors’ fate in Brazil, aware that defensive frailties will make the going tough for them in the group. Unlike the Koreans, who are part of recent World Cup history’s fixture and fittings, Russia make their return to the feast of football for the first time since 2002, when like in 1994 they failed to make it out of the group stages. Under Fabio Capello, who guided England to the last 16 in South Africa four years ago, Russia coasted through qualifying and in stark contrast to Tuesday’s opposition are unbeaten in 10 games. They hold a psychological advantage going into the game as they saw off South Korea 2-1 in a friendly in Dubai last November.

Korea’s coach Hong Myung-Bo (in pic) was captain of the Korean team that finished fourth in the 2002 World Cup. He scored the winning penalty in the quarterfinal against Spain. He was voted the third best player of the tournament (Bronze Ball award), the first ever Asian to be named in the top 3 players in a World Cup. With 135 appearances, the 45-year-old former defender is the most-capped player for Korea.

Left embarrassed after their nude pictures were leaked online by paparazzi, Croatia's footballers have refused to talk to the media. The no-talk move comes after two photographers hid behind bushes near the team hotel to click the pictures of players while they were taking a shower and leaked them online. “How would you feel if someone took naked pictures of you? They are adamant that they won't speak to you lot any more,” Croatia coach Nico Kovac told a press conference in Praia do Forte here. “I don't know whether the silence will end tomorrow or last until the end of our World Cup campaign,” he added. Southampton centre-back Dejan Lovren and former Manchester City defender Vedran Corluka are clearly visible in the photographs. Kovac added: “I respect my players' opinion and I also know that you have done a very professional job so far but you blew it with this one. The whole world has seen the photos. It's easy for me to talk but I'm not part of this story. I respect their opinion.”

Paris, June 16
Former champion racing driver Michael Schumacher has only a one in ten chance of a full recovery despite his emergence from a coma, medical experts warned. The seven-time Formula One champion left the hospital in Grenoble in the French Alps where he has been treated since he suffered serious head injuries in a skiing accident on 29 December. He was transferred to the Vaud university hospital at Lausanne, in Switzerland, close to his family home.

His manager, Sabine Kehm, said Schumacher, 45, had been removed from the artificially induced coma in which he had spent most of the last five months. He would now “continue his long phase of rehabilitation”. She offered no further information on his condition.

French medical experts, speaking off the record, said that it was a good sign that Schumacher had been judged capable of making the journey to the new hospital. This implied, they said, that he had achieved at least a “minimal” state of consciousness. But they warned that only one in ten patients who spent so many months in a coma went on to recover all or most of their mental and physical capacities. Moving scenes as fans hold silent vigil for Michael Schumacher’s 45th birthday

Schumacher suffered serious brain injuries on 29 December while skiing with his son Mick at Meribel in the French Alps. The retired racing driver underwent two brain operations and was placed in an artificial coma at the Grenoble university hospital. In April it was announced that Schumacher showed “moments of consciousness and awakening”.

His manager, Kehm, said that Mr Schumacher’s family “would like to explicitly thank all his treating doctors, nurses and therapists in Grenoble as well as the first aiders at the place of the accident, who did an excellent job in those first months.”

She added: “For the future we ask for understanding that his further rehabilitation will take place away from the public eye.”

There have been persistent rumours in recent days that Schumacher was to be removed from the Grenoble hospital and brought to a specially equipped room at his home between Lausanne and Geneva. French medical experts said that the Formula One champion would now undergo intensive tests and exercises to try to help him to recover his bodily and mental functions.

Earlier this month, Gary Hartstein, the former medical adviser to the international automobile federation, wrote in his blog that Schumacher was unlikely to make a full recovery. “I am afraid I am almost certain that we will never have good news of Michael Schumacher,” he wrote. After so many months in a coma, only a small fraction of patients recover consciousness, he said.

Even if — as seemed likely — Schumacher had returned to “minimal consciousness”, the statistic were against him, Hartstein said. He might be able to achieve a greater level of consciousness “in the months and years ahead” but it would take a “miracle” for him to recover completely.

“Unfortunately, very few patients who have been in a vegetative state for six months can ever speak, walk or dress themselves again.” — The Independent

PINEHURST, June 16
Germany’s Martin Kaymer, ice-cool in hot conditions, confirmed his status as one of the game’s very best by coasting to his second major victory by eight shots in Sunday’s final round at the US Open.

Five ahead at the start of another humid day, the 29-year-old from Dusseldorf left his closest pursuers trailing in his wake as he closed with a one-under 69 on the challenging No. 2 Course.

Kaymer, whose first major win came at the 2010 PGA Championship, mixed two birdies with one bogey in the last six holes on a layout where danger lurked at every corner to post a nine-under total of 271, the second lowest ever at the event. The former world No. 1 one became the first German to win the US Open and the seventh player to complete a wire-to-wire victory at the year’s second major.

BRIEFLY

Ayonika bags bronze at ISSF World Cup
New Delhi: Aynonika Paul clinched her maiden international medal as a senior shooter by settling for a bronze in the 10m air rifle event of the ISSF World Cup in Maribor, Slovenia. The 21-year-old finished third in the qualification round with a score of 417.3. She went on to shoot a score of 185.3 in the final to clinch bronze.

Sri Lanka survive dramatic session to save Test
London: Number 11 Nuwan Pradeep survived five dramatic balls from Stuart Broad to help Sri Lanka avoid defeat after James Anderson ripped through the visitors to almost force an England win in the first Test at Lord's on Monday. Anderson got rid of Mahela Jayawardene (18), Kumar Sangakkara (61) and Lahiru Thirimanne (2) in the space of 14 balls either side of tea, before returning with the new ball to remove captain and last recognised batman Angelo Mathews (18). Pradeep survived the final five balls, including successfully reviewing an lbw appeal on the penultimate ball and edging the last just short of slip, to seal the draw as Sri Lanka finished on 201 for nine. Brief scores: Sri Lanka 453 & 201-9 (Sangakkara 61; Silva 57; Anderson 4-25) v England 575-9 decl & 267-8 decl.

Haas out of Wimbledon due to shoulder surgery
London: Former world No. 2 Tommy Haas has pulled out of next week’s Wimbledon because he needs surgery on a shoulder injury that has plagued him this year. — Agencies