FIFA World Cup: Hat-trick for Mueller as Germany rout Portugal and Ronaldo flops

Salvador Brazil Thomas Mueller marked his 50th international with a hattrick as Germany strolled to a 40 World Cup victory over a Portugal side reduced to 10 men late in the first half of a disappointingly onesided Group G match on MondayA decisive firsthalf saw Germany race into 30 lead as Mueller converted a penalty then fired home their third on the stroke of halftime after a Mats Hummels header had also hit the targetPortugal played almost an hour with a man down after defender Pepe was redcarded for aiming a headbutt at MuellerGerman players including goalscorer forward Thomas Mueller 2L and forward Andre Schuerrle C celebrate his goal during the Group G football match vs Portugal at the Fonte Nova Arena in Salvador on Monday during the 2014 FIFA World Cup PicAFPWorld Player of the Year Ronaldo played the full 90 minutes of the Group G opener despite recent injuries but the Portugal captain was powerless to prevent his side being overrunCatch all the FIFA World Cup 2014 action hereThe Portuguese suffered the same fate at Salvadors Arena Fonte Nova as their Iberian neighbours Spain last Friday when the holders were routed 51 by the DutchGermany continue their domination of Portugal by adding Brazil 2014 to their list of recent wins over Ronaldos side which includes the 2006 World Cup plus the 2008 and 2012 European championshipsThe result capped a remarkable day for Germany in front of Chancellor Angela Merkel just hours after news broke that exFormula One champion Michael Schumacher has come out of his lengthy comaHaving declared himself 100 percent fit Ronaldo lived up to his word with an early shot then put Hugo Almeida into space but the Germans were soon on topSami Khedira fired wide after a loose pass from Rui Patricio with eight minutes gone at the start of a busy period for the Portugal goalkeeperWhen leftback Joao Pereira tugged back on Mario Goetzes shirt Serbian referee Milorad Mazic pointed straight to the spotMueller who scored five goals in the 2010 finals to claim both the Golden Boot and best young player award planted his penalty in the bottom corner to open the Germans account on 12 minutesPortugal coach Paulo Bento was forced into an early substitution as Almeida pulled up with a muscle injury to make way for EderGoetze then crashed a shot just wide of the post just before the Germans went 20 upToni Kroos swung in a corner and centreback Hummels outjumped Pepe to plant his header past Patricio on 32 minutesPortugals fortunes went from bad to worse on 37 minutes when the standing Pepe aimed a headbutt at the seated Mueller after an altercation to earn a straight red cardMueller had his revenge on the stroke of halftime when he chested down Kroos long pass and smashed his shot past Patricio as it finished 30 at the intervalAfter the break Portugal kept chipping away at the solid German defence which had been a concern coming into BrazilBut Portugals fortunes were summed up when one of Ronaldos trademark freekicks cannoned off the German wall leaving the worlds best player with his head in his handsHaving already lost injured midfielders Marco Reus and Lars Bender before arriving in Brazil there were worrying scenes for Germany coach Joachim Loew when Hummels had to be helped off on 73 minutesSampdorias 22yearold Shkodran Mustafi the son of Albanian immigrants came on to win only his second capMueller wrapped up his hattrick on 78 minutes in scrappy fashion in a goalmouth scramble after Patricio had parried a shot