Germany put seven past debutants Curacao to get World Cup campaign off to flying start

[p]The smallest nation by both size and population ever to participate in a WC were already significant outsiders against the 2014 champions, but it took less than six minutes for any kind of result for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/curacao/bLLGpOkQ/"]Curacao[/a] to look nigh on impossible.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/germany/ptQide1O/"]Germany[/a] showed their class with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nmecha-felix/80RErj9O/"]Felix Nmecha[/a] playing a cool one-two with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/wirtz-florian/0Q5gjImi/"]Florian Wirtz[/a] to enter the area, taking on a first-time shot with his right foot to curl inside the far post.[/p][image alt="Nmecha celebrates his goal" id="51a12359-3648-4822-9211-46cf985ec498" credit-line="IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters / Maria Lysaker" guid="08af57d0-d61f-4802-ace0-c00e3b0c1d4f" original-width="7109" original-height="4669" /][p]But Dick Advocaat had guided this group of trailblazers here via a stunning qualification campaign in which they were the top scorers in CONCACAF, and they once again defied the odds to send a small island into pandemonium. [/p][p]After a rapid counter, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/schlotterbeck-nico/hKLN8mA7/"]Nico Schlotterbeck[/a] could only clear as far as an arriving [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/comenencia-livano/QVwOF3CH/"]Livano Comenencia[/a], whose powerful strike deflected into the net beyond [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/neuer-manuel/Sh5KwIo6/"]Manuel Neuer[/a]’s reach.[/p][image alt="Curacao celebrate their first-ever World Cup goal" id="4218c404-9c8c-40ae-af9d-57001ca24512" credit-line="REUTERS / Annegret Hilse" guid="c831183b-fd67-4376-8b3e-3ebfd59afcf9" original-width="5237" original-height="3430" /][p]Aiming to make amends and break Caribbean hearts, Schlotterbeck soon forced [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/room-eloy/QkUYeBt5/"]Eloy Room[/a] to tip his header over the bar, but he made no mistake the second time around.[/p][p]The [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/dortmund/nP1i5US1/"]Borussia Dortmund[/a] defender darted across the box to meet [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/brown-nathaniel/Kh5pWVDr/"]Nathaniel Brown[/a]’s near-post corner, glancing it past a helpless Room.[/p][image alt="Schlotterbeck celebrates his goal" id="a015bbc1-104c-473d-9d0f-313d361cab12" credit-line="REUTERS / Phil Noble" guid="0199527e-64a9-4100-b842-3fc0466c2616" original-width="1909" original-height="1307" /][p]And things got worse for Advocaat’s side before half time when Riechedly Bazoer fouled Nmecha in the box, resulting in a penalty kick which [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/havertz-kai/rH8BZWiI/"]Kai Havertz[/a] rolled into the corner.[/p][image alt="Havertz celebrates his goal" id="fa2dede1-8a9c-426d-acff-0bfb865b6a60" credit-line="IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters / Maria Lysaker" guid="a91946d6-b579-4fea-995c-55bcedd2eb2c" original-width="4386" original-height="3072" /][p]Germany had their tails up on the restart, and widened the gap when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kimmich-joshua/MkMrkZLc/"]Joshua Kimmich[/a] played in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/musiala-jamal/nVzSNrOf/"]Jamal Musiala[/a], who brilliantly found the far bottom corner from a tight angle.[/p][p]A Nmecha effort onto the bar and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sane-leroy/GlTyfr8U/"]Leroy Sane[/a]’s one-on-one miss threatened a fifth, which eventually came when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/undav-deniz/tUHAdtMH/"]Deniz Undav[/a] flicked it on for Brown to guide into the net and become the latest Germany player to score his first WC goal. [/p][image alt="Undav had a fantastic cameo off the bench" id="107770e7-2b96-4f6c-acd7-12b6e77dba3c" credit-line="IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters / Troy Taormina / Opta by StatsPerform" guid="b8a1302f-5b69-480d-9425-5ec3c952baf9" original-width="1080" original-height="1080" /][p]And Undav added himself to that list by tapping in Kimmich’s ball across the box with 10 minutes to play, with Curacao now looking totally off the pace.[/p][p]Julian Nagelsmann’s side completed the onslaught late on with Undav sending Havertz away to chip over the goalkeeper.[/p][p]It’s not quite Brazil, but the 7-1 scoreline will nevertheless instill confidence of making the knockout stages for the first time since 2014, and may even put them back among the favourites to lift the trophy.[/p][image alt="Match stats" id="70fd5f48-8fc9-45bb-87ed-d74d30f74f97" credit-line="Opta by StatsPerform" guid="0e0176b3-a2b3-4254-ad55-a47523862c1d" original-width="1080" original-height="1080" /][p]Veteran head coach Advocaat will be lauded regardless of the outcome of this tournament, but there was a clear gulf in quality here which won’t be much narrower in Curacao’s upcoming matches against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ecuador/8tbm8Tri/"]Ecuador[/a] and the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ivory-coast/G2FRjBgn/"]Ivory Coast[/a].[/p][p][b]Flashscore Man of the Match: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/schlotterbeck-nico/hKLN8mA7/"]Nico Schlotterbeck[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/germany/ptQide1O/"]Germany[/a])[/b][/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/curacao-bLLGpOkQ/germany-ptQide1O/?mid=dtiRRcc6"]See all the stats from the match here[/a][/b][/p][infobox id="4ccc1b10-d68f-4c97-bcf4-5e613c17c2e3" /]