40 Greatest Goals in World Cup History: #40 Torsten Frings - Germany vs Costa Rica ('06)

Under pressure to deliver as the host nation of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Germany found themselves in a spot of bother when Costa Rica put up a fight in the opening game of the tournament.

Philipp Lahm had scored a scorcher to get things underway while birthday boy Miroslav Klose had added a brace but the South American side were up to the task, scoring two of their own through Paulo Wanchope who had beaten Germany's offside line not once but twice.

3-2 was a scoreline that could easily have been 3-3 had Costa Rica pressed their advantage. 66,000 fans at the WM Stadion in Munich were a nervous wreck (it couldn't be called the Allianz Arena during the World Cup due to sponsorship issues).

However, in the 87th minute, all that changed when Torsten Frings stepped up and scored one of the most memorable goals of that World Cup.

Germany had won a foul out on the left in Costa Rica's half and Bastian Schweinsteiger stood over it with a two-man wall standing in his way. But Schweinsteiger wasn't looking at the wall at all. Let the commentator take you through the rest...

"Schweinsteiger... Rolls it for Frings. He'll smack it innnnn... My goodness me, will he smack it in! Torsten Frings has brought Munich to its feet in its entirety!"

Frings' goal was taken from 35 yards out. Costa Rica's Christian Bolaños had seen the pass telegraphed and sprinted towards Frings to close it down.

To the fans watching on - at the stadium and around the world - it seemed like Frings had allowed himself too much time to set up the shot. But he had timed it just right and walloped it goalward.

Goalkeeper José Porras did not realise he'd taken the shot until the ball had reached the six-yard box.

By the time he'd made the dive, the ball was already past him, almost burning a hole through the net. The shot had clocked 104.4 km/hr on the speed gun and, aided by the nature of the Adidas Teamgeist ball, had found its target - the top corner!

Torsten Frings scores from 35 yards out

The goal sealed all three points with Costa Rica's resolve broken by an almost impossible goal. It is why Frings's goal kicks off our series on the 40 Greatest Goals in World Cup history.