Germany opened their World Cup account with a thumping 4-0 win over Portugal in Group G, with centre-back Pepe sent off in the first half for the losing side.

Thomas Muller grabbed himself a hat-trick in the game. Read below for Sports Mole's summary of the players on show.

GERMANY

Goal

Manuel Neuer: Did not have a great deal to do, apart from make some simple stops and a decent one from a Cristiano Ronaldo free kick. Did nothing at all wrong, however. (8/10)

Defence

Jerome Boateng: One of the quieter Germany defenders, but the fact that Ronaldo was kept very quiet goes in his favour. Did not maraud as often as he usually does, so was not much help in attack. (7/10)

Mats Hummels: Was everywhere at the back and ensured that Hugo Almeida did nothing up front in the half-hour he was on the pitch. Managed to score with a thumping header, so a very good day before his injury. (9/10)

Per Mertesacker: Was the unsung one of the two centre-backs, but still did not put a foot wrong. Hummels stole the limelight, but the two forged a good, solid partnership. (8/10)

Benedikt Howedes: Left-back is not his position, and it showed to an extent. Was lucky not to give away a penalty and did not help a lot in attack, but that said did not let much past him. (7/10)

Midfield

Sami Khedira: Very tidy mopping up in the middle and certainly won the battle against his counterpart Raul Meireles. Might have scored and looked to get forward early on. Energetic. (8/10)

Philipp Lahm: Arguably his weakest performance as a midfielder for Germany, and was a bit sloppy in possession early on. Improved as the game went on, but Khedira was more stable throughout. (7/10)

Toni Kroos: Showed a very good passing range and as usual an excellent delivery from dead balls. Was the most static of the front four, but played an important role and had a say in the outcome. (8/10)

Mesut Ozil: Showed good movement in the first half and was fluid switching places with Muller and Gotze. However, missed a good chance in the second half and his passing was not as incisive as usual. (7/10)

Thomas Muller: He scored a hat-trick from actually not too many opportunities, so certainly had his finishing boots on. Would have been 10 but for his reaction to initial slight touch from Pepe in the incident that the Portugal player was sent off. (9/10)

Attack

Mario Gotze: Played as a false nine, as he often does for Germany and showed plenty of movement. Won the penalty from which Germany took the lead and generally made good decisions in both his movement and passing. A good performance. (9/10)

Substitutes

Andre Schurrle: Came on with just under 30 minutes remaining, but was unable to have an impact on the proceedings. Could have had an assist with a good run and pass, but otherwise fairly quiet. (6/10)

Shkodran Mustafi: Came on for the injured Hummels and was switched to right-back. Strong showing from the 22-year-old and built up a nice understanding with Boateng in just 15 minutes. (7/10)

Lukas Podolski: Only had a few minutes to make an impact and barely touched the ball. Game was long won, so did not have much chance to have a say. (5/10)

PORTUGAL

Goal

Rui Patricio: Very shaky indeed, and almost gifted Khedira a goal early on. Could have done better from a number of crosses and particularly the low one that led to Muller's third. (5/10)

Defence

Joao Pereira: Had a very mixed game. Early on he was giving the ball away far too often, but redeemed himself somewhat with some good blocks and challenges. His passing was not good enough, however. (6/10)

Bruno Alves: Was definitely his side's best defender, but that does not say a great deal. Made some good interceptions and certainly not a performance to be ashamed of. (7/10)

Pepe: Incredibly silly sending-off at 2-0 down, which left his side with a nearly impossible task. Before that he was solid enough, but lost his head far too quickly and is a liability. (3/10)

Fabio Coentrao: Did not attack as much as he has done this season for Real Madrid. Was a little keen to pass to club teammate Cristiano Ronaldo and as such wasted a brilliant shooting chance. Injury in the second half could see his tournament end. (6/10)

Midfield

Joao Moutinho: Did his best against what was a very solid Germany midfield, but was found wanting. Several times he tried creative passes he found a white shirt, so a disappointing day overall. (6/10)

Raul Meireles: When he has a good game you notice his grittiness in midfield. He went unnoticed, which was indicative of a poor performance, capped by a lazy tackle late on that deserved a booking. (5/10)

Miguel Veloso: Probably gave the ball away more than any player on the pitch, but at the same time was one of the few in red who did not shy away when the going got tough. Lots of effort, but very little end product. (5/10)

Attack

Cristiano Ronaldo: Portugal's marquee player did not step up to the occasion. Grew increasingly frustrated as the game went on and was very disappointing with his shooting. Struggled to get into the game. (6/10)

Nani: Comfortably the most selfish and wasteful attacker on the pitch today. One time in the first half he even managed to tackle Coentrao. His passing was poor and his shooting worse. (4/10)

Hugo Almeida: Was not on the pitch for too long and struggled when he was. Hummels had him in his back pocket before he was forced off before 30 minutes through injury. (5/10)

Substitutes

Eder: Showed plenty of effort after coming on in the first half and the Portugal attack was visibly improved. Did not get many chances to score but for a decent header that went narrowly over. Probably the best of Portugal's attacking players. (7/10)

Ricardo Costa: Came on for Veloso at half time and was marginally better than the man he replaced. Sloppy at times with his passing, but that was the same for most of his teammates. (6/10)

Andre Almeida: Was out of position on the left after replacing the injured Coentrao, but performed as well as could be expected. Broke up play a couple of times and his passing was good. (7/10)

Written by
Matt Domm