“We can be proud of this team” - Lothar Matthäus reacts to Germany’s emphatic World Cup victory
| Photo by Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images |
Writing in his column for Sky Sport Germany, Matthäus expressed his delight after Germany cruised to a 7-1 win on Sunday, with six different players getting on the scoresheet in an impressive attacking display.
“Germany delivered a composed performance against Curaçao. It was a fantastic start to the World Cup,” Matthäus wrote.
“There was so much positive to take from it: the joy with which the team combined and created chances, the seven goals, and the enthusiasm on the pitch that the team also conveyed to us spectators in Germany.”
The former Bayern Munich midfielder was also willing to overlook the few blemishes in an otherwise dominant performance.
“As for the goal conceded and a few minor mistakes, we can turn a blind eye to those this time.”
Matthäus singled out several players for praise, highlighting the performances of Kai Havertz, Felix Nmecha, Jamal Musiala, Nathaniel Brown and Deniz Undav, while also acknowledging Nico Schlotterbeck after the defender scored his first World Cup goal.
Despite the convincing scoreline, however, Matthäus believes Germany still have room for improvement as the tournament progresses.
“A 7-1 win was expected, but you still have to go out and achieve it. We can be proud of this team if they continue to play like this, but there is still room for improvement. The mistakes Curaçao made won’t be repeated by our upcoming opponents with the same frequency.”
Germany will now turn their attention to a much sterner test against Ivory Coast in their second group-stage fixture. Matthäus was quick to point out the difference in quality between the two opponents and highlighted one player in particular who could cause problems for Nagelsmann’s side.
“Ivory Coast are a different calibre of opponent than Curaçao. Yan Diomande played on the right wing in the 1-0 win over Ecuador, but he can also operate on the left. There, he would have a pace advantage over Joshua Kimmich that he wouldn’t have against Nathaniel Brown.”
