GERMANY CRUSHED IVORY COAST 10-0 IN THEIR OPENING WOMEN’S WORLD CUP

Forwards Celia Sasic and Anja Mittag both scored hat tricks as Germany crushed Ivory Coast 10-0 in their opening Women’s World Cup Group B soccer match on Sunday, notching the second biggest win in tournament history.

Sasic netted three times in the first half against a hapless Ivory Coast side who had goalkeeper Dominique Thiamale to thank for preventing an even worse defeat. Mittag scored another two before halftime. Top-ranked Germany, who won all 10 of its qualifying matches with a staggering 62-4 goal difference, came into the tournament as one of the favourites and showed why against a woeful Ivory Coast, who are ranked a lowly 67th.

The Germans took off Sasic at halftime but were still far too strong for their opponents. Mittag netted the sixth goal after a terrible error in the Ivory Coast defence while Simone Laudehr, Sara Daebritz, Melanie Behringer and Alexandra Popp also scored.

The heaviest defeat in Women’s World Cup history came in 2007, when Germany beat Argentina 11-0.