Germany 7-1 Curaçao: Julian Nagelsmann’s side hit seven in dominant World Cup opener
Four-time champions Germany launched their World Cup campaign with a clinical demolition of debutants Curaçao in Houston, though the Caribbean minnows walked away with a piece of tournament folklore.
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Julian Nagelsmann’s side took just six minutes to break the ice when Felix Nmecha exchanged a sharp one-two with Florian Wirtz before curling an exquisite opener into the far corner. Yet, what should have been a straightforward afternoon took an extraordinary turn in the 20th minute. Representing the smallest nation to ever reach a World Cup, Curaçao rallied as Tahith Chong carved open space for Jürgen Locadia. Though his initial shot was blocked, FC Zürich midfielder Livano Comenencia seized the rebound to fire past Manuel Neuer, sending their travelling support into unbridled raptures.
The shock served to awaken the European heavyweights, who quickly asserted their authority after a timely first-half cooling break. Nico Schlotterbeck rose unmarked to powerfully head home Nathaniel Brown’s corner, before Nmecha was brought down in the area by Riechedly Bazoer just before the interval. Kai Havertz stepped up to coolly roll the resulting penalty into the bottom corner, handed Germany a comfortable cushion.
Any hopes of a second-half fairytale for Dick Advocaat’s side were swiftly extinguished 69 seconds after the restart. Jamal Musiala latched onto a defense-splitting pass from Joshua Kimmich, driving a clinical low effort across the keeper from a tight angle.
As the Caribbean side’s energy understandably flagged under unrelenting pressure, the goals flowed freely. Emerging left-back Nathaniel Brown marked his tournament debut by steering home a lovely volley from close range, before substitute Deniz Undav tapped in a sixth following a slick team move. Havertz then capped off a commanding individual display in the dying minutes, beating the offside trap and delicately chipping Eloy Room to seal an emphatic opening victory in Group E.
