Germany produced a dominant second-half display to defeat World Cup debutants Curaçao 7-1 in their opening Group E match at Houston Stadium.
The four-time world champions made the perfect start when Felix Nmecha scored after just six minutes, registering the fastest goal of the tournament so far.
However, Curaçao stunned the German side midway through the first half when Livano Comenencia found the back of the net to score his country’s first-ever FIFA World Cup goal, sparking celebrations among the Caribbean nation’s supporters.
The equaliser briefly disrupted Germany’s rhythm, but Julian Nagelsmann’s men quickly responded. Defender Nico Schlotterbeck restored the lead with a header before Kai Havertz converted a penalty in first-half stoppage time to give Germany a 3-1 advantage heading into the break.
Germany wasted little time extending their lead after the restart, with Jamal Musiala scoring moments into the second half to put the result beyond doubt.
Nathaniel Brown and substitute Deniz Undav added their names to the scoresheet as Germany continued to dominate proceedings, while Havertz completed his brace late in the game to cap an impressive performance.
The victory saw six different German players score, highlighting the attacking quality and depth within a squad considered among the favourites for the tournament.
Despite the heavy defeat, Curaçao secured a memorable milestone through Comenencia’s goal, which marked the nation’s first-ever strike at a FIFA World Cup in their debut appearance at the competition.
The emphatic win puts Germany in a strong position in Group E and sends an early warning to their rivals, while Curaçao will seek to recover in their next fixture as they continue their historic World Cup campaign.
