Germany overwhelms Curaçao 7‑1: debut show for the Germans

Germany overwhelmed Curaçao 7-1 in the first match of group E of the World Cup. In Houston the Germans took the lead after 6 minutes with Nmecha, then in the 22nd minute Comenencia equalized, a historic first goal for the Caribbean national team making their debut in a World Cup. In the 38th minute Schlotterbeck brought Germany back ahead and in the 48th minute Havertz scored the hat-trick from a penalty. In the second half, Nagelsmann’s team overwhelmed the Caribbean team and immediately took the lead. On the Italian night (1:00 am) Ivory Coast will debut against Ecuador. Germany will return to the field against the Ivorians next Saturday, while Curaçao will take on the South Americans on Sunday night. Great emotion during the performance of the Curaçao anthem, in his first participation in the World Cup. The selection led by Dick Advocaat is the least populous and smallest nation to participate in the World Cup.

The first half and the historic draw

The initial enthusiasm of the Caribbean was dampened by the play in the strait by the Germans: to close the action, after Wirtz’s excellent touch, it was Nmecha, who after six minutes gave his team the lead. A few minutes later the Borussia Dortmund midfielder came close to scoring a double with a long-range shot that came out just a matter of centimetres. As the minutes passed, Curaçao managed to react. The equalizer arrived in the 21st minute: after an incorrect defensive reading by the German rearguard, Comenencia made it 1-1, with Kimmich’s decisive deflection deceiving Neuer. A historic goal from the Zurich player, the first in a World Cup.

The German reaction and the spread in the second half

The reaction from Nagelsmann’s men was immediate. The most dangerous actions came from an inactive ball: in the 38th minute Schlotterbeck, with his head, beat everyone to find the net for the new lead. In full injury time Havertz scored the 3-1 on a penalty. Germany started the second half by scoring the fourth goal: Musiala’s diagonal shot was decisive, scoring with the complicity of the Curaçao defense. After just three minutes Nmecha, from a tight angle, looked for a brace, but Room deflected the shot into a corner. The German national team, who entered with little conviction in the first half, raised the bar in the second half by dominating the dribble and not allowing the Caribbean to restart on the counterattack.

The race finale and historical records

The fifth goal also arrived in the 23rd minute, Undav’s turn triggered Brown who, with first intention, once again passed the opposing goalkeeper. However, Curaçao tried to create some chances: Margaritha, with a violent conclusion in the 30th minute, scared Neuer, who returned to the national team after two years of absence. Undav also made it 6-1 in the 33rd minute, with the second assist provided by Kimmich. Three minutes from the end, however, Havertz scores twice, with an unstoppable touch underneath. However, Germany was unable to beat its own record, the largest victory at the World Cup remains that of 2002 against Saudi Arabia (final result 8-0).