Germany recover from first half stumble to hit seven past Curaçao

Despite being pegged back after Felix Nmecha’s early opener, Julian Nagelsmann’s side quickly regained control and eventually overwhelmed their opponents. Goals from Nico Schlotterbeck, Kai Havertz (2), Jamal Musiala, Nathaniel Brown and Deniz Undav completed a dominant display as Germany flexed their attacking quality.

As expected, Germany started on the front foot, monopolising possession and pinning Curaçao deep inside their own half. Their early pressure paid off after just six minutes when Nmecha exchanged a neat one-two with Florian Wirtz on the edge of the box before curling a superb effort beyond the unsighted Eloy Room to give Die Nationalelf a deserved lead.

After 15 minutes of one-way traffic, however, Curaçao began to grow into the contest. With Germany showing signs of complacency, Dick Advocaat’s side started to threaten on the counter-attack and stunned their illustrious opponents with a historic equaliser in the 21st minute.

An attempted through ball was only partially cleared by Schlotterbeck, allowing Jurgen Locadia to keep the move alive before the ball broke kindly for Livano Comenencia. The midfielder unleashed a strike from the edge of the area that took a deflection off Joshua Kimmich and wrong-footed Manuel Neuer on its way into the net, handing Curaçao their first-ever World Cup goal and levelling the scores at 1-1.

The subsequent hydration break arrived at an unfortunate moment for the Blue Wave, disrupting their momentum and allowing Germany to regroup. Nagelsmann’s men soon reasserted their authority and eventually restored their lead in the 38th minute.

Making his World Cup debut, Nathaniel Brown delivered an inviting corner that Schlotterbeck attacked brilliantly at the near post, the defender glancing a header beyond Room to make it 2-1.

Germany were then handed a golden opportunity to take complete control just before half-time when Riechedly Bazoer brought down Nmecha inside the penalty area. Havertz stepped up deep into first-half stoppage time and calmly sent Room the wrong way from the spot, giving Germany a comfortable 3-1 advantage at the break.

The four-time world champions wasted little time extending their lead after the restart. Just two minutes into the second half, Kimmich threaded an excellent pass into Musiala, who still had plenty to do from a tight angle. The Bayern Munich star produced a brilliant low finish across Room and into the far corner to make it 4-1.

Germany remained firmly in control and added a fifth in the 68th minute through another memorable moment. A slick passing move around the box ended with substitute Deniz Undav cleverly flicking the ball into Brown’s path, and the full-back finished first-time beyond Room to cap a dream World Cup debut with his first goal on the tournament stage.

With Curaçao visibly tiring, Germany continued to carve open the slacking defence. Their sixth goal arrived in the 78th minute after another flowing move, as Havertz picked out Kimmich at the back post with a driven cross. Rather than shooting himself, Kimmich squared unselfishly for the unmarked Undav, who tapped home with ease.

There was still time for one final flourish. After Leon Goretzka won possession high up the pitch, Havertz was played clean through on goal and delicately lifted the ball over the advancing Room to complete his brace and seal an emphatic 7-1 victory.

While Curaçao can take pride in scoring their first-ever World Cup goal, Germany ultimately demonstrated the gulf in class, recovering from an early setback to open their tournament with a ruthless and convincing win.