GROUP G: Mueller - who else? German false nine is a real goalgetter

Thomas Mueller obviously loves World Cups. After winning the Golden Boot at the 2010 tournament in South Africa, the 25-year-old Bayern Munich midfielder bags his first hat-trick for Germany on his 50th cap to take his tally to eight goals in seven World Cup games.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (C) celebrating with German national team players after their 4-0 World Cup victory over Portugal in Salvador. Photo by: EPA/GUIDO BERGMANN MANDATORY CREDIT: GERMAN FEDERAL PRESS OFFICE
German Chancellor Angela Merkel (C) celebrating with German national team players after their 4-0 World Cup victory over Portugal in Salvador. Photo by: EPA/GUIDO BERGMANN MANDATORY CREDIT: GERMAN FEDERAL PRESS OFFICE

By Christian Kuntz, dpa

Not only did he net three times - from the penalty spot in the 12th minute, in first-half stoppage time and again 12 minutes from the end in Germany's 4-0 drubbing of Portugal - Mueller was instrumental in the first-half red card for Pepe.

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"Three goals in an opening match of a World Cup against such an opponent is of course wonderful. Each one was better than the next," he told Germany's ARD television.

There was little doubt about who was going to be made man of the match in Salvador.

The last German to score a hat-trick in a World Cup match was Miroslav Klose in an 8-0 hammering of Saudi Arabia in Sapporo in 2002.

Now Mueller looks like keeping 36-year-old Klose on the bench.

Lazio striker Klose is one goal short of Brazilian Ronaldo's record of 15 World Cup goals. But Mueller was preferred, in the so-called "false nine" role, to Klose as coach Joachim Loew opted for three attacking midfielders, with Mueller flanked by Mesut Oezil and Mario Goetze.

It has been a World Cup full of goals for some of football's big names, with Brazil's Neymar, Dutch duo Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben, and France striker Karim Benzema bagging two apiece. Now Mueller has gone one better with the first hat-trick of the tournament.

Mueller, who was also voted young player of the 2010 tournament and was one of four players to score five goals (he won the Golden Boot thanks to more assists), went into the game having just extended his contract with Bayern Munich for another two years to 2019.

Both at Bayern and usually with Germany, he is used in a role on the right of midfield. But Mueller played as a striker in his youth and is one of the midfield players Loew can deploy if he chooses not to use an established striker.

Klose is the only orthodox striker in Loew's squad, a move regarded by some commentators as somewhat risky. But in the Salvador heat it all seemed to fall into place.

Mueller has a measure of freedom to roam wherever he plays, making it difficult for defenders to know when to pick him up and creating space for team-mates.

He has a knack of not only getting the bounce of the ball but of being in front of goal when it counts, as demonstrated with the last of the game when he mopped up in the style of his famous namesake Gerd Mueller.

Thomas Mueller rarely misses from the penalty spot, usually waiting until the keeper moves before playing his spot kick as he did with a well-placed shot into Rui Patricio's right-hand corner.

The only blot on an impressive performance was his theatrical fall after Pepe's hand went to his face in a duel for the ball.

The Real Madrid defender was so annoyed he foolishly put his head to Mueller's - enough for a red card, which torpedoed any chance Portugal had of getting back in the game.

In Germany's list of World Cup scorers, Mueller has now moved level with Rudi Voeller and has only six in front of him: Klose, Gerd Mueller (both 14), Juergen Klinsmann (11), Helmut Rahn (10), Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Uwe Seeler (9).