Four-time world champions Germany overcame an early scare from World Cup debutants Curacao before producing a dominant display to secure a convincing victory in their Group E opener in Houston.
Die Mannschaft made the perfect start, taking the lead in the sixth minute through the tournament’s fastest goal so far. Felix Nmecha, a former England youth international, curled a superb effort into the net after a slick attacking move orchestrated by Florian Wirtz.
Curacao, however, responded in historic fashion. The smallest nation by both size and population ever to participate in a FIFA World Cup stunned Germany when FC Zurich midfielder Livano Comenencia fired home a deflected left-footed strike from the edge of the box in the 21st minute to level the scores.
The goal was a landmark moment for the Caribbean side, while Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was also making history. Appearing at his fifth World Cup at the age of 40, Neuer surpassed Lothar Matthäus as Germany’s oldest-ever international. Curacao nearly went ahead shortly afterwards, but striker Jurgen Locadia saw strong penalty appeals waved away after breaking past Jonathan Tah.
A hydration break midway through the first half allowed Germany to regroup, and Julian Nagelsmann’s side responded strongly. After 17 minutes of parity, Nico Schlotterbeck restored Germany’s lead with a powerful near-post header from Nathaniel Brown’s corner.
Germany tightened their grip on the contest before the interval and added a third goal in stoppage time. Kai Havertz calmly converted from the penalty spot after Riechedly Bazoer brought down the lively Nmecha inside the area, giving the Germans a comfortable cushion heading into the break.
The second half began in emphatic fashion, with Jamal Musiala scoring just 69 seconds after the restart from Joshua Kimmich’s precise pass. Left-back Nathaniel Brown then added a fifth goal with a thunderous volley after a clever flick from substitute Deniz Undav, who soon got on the scoresheet himself by finishing another Kimmich assist.
Undav capped an impressive cameo by setting up Havertz for Germany’s seventh goal two minutes from time, the Arsenal forward delicately lifting the ball over goalkeeper Eloy Room. The emphatic 7-1 victory matched Germany’s famous semi-final triumph over Brazil at the 2014 World Cup and saw them surpass Brazil as the highest-scoring nation in World Cup history with 239 goals.
