Germany survived a first half scare against Curacao to begin their 2026 World Cup campaign with an emphatic win. Facing a side ranked 82nd in the world and taking part at this stage for the very first time, all the pressure was on Germany to not only win, but do so in convincing fashion.
After six minutes, the four-time winners were well on course to do just that when their fast start was rewarded with a superb curling effort from Felix Nmecha to break the deadlock. However, Curacao weathered the storm and made history in the 22nd minute when Livano Comenencia scored his nation’s first-ever World Cup goal with a deflected effort.
That moment and the subsequent hydration break served to awake Germany and they proceeded to up the quality to produce a ruthless display of finishing with Jamal Musiala, Nico Schlotterbeck , Nathaniel Brown, Deniz Undav and Arsenal’s Kai Havertz on target twice in a 7-1 victory. Follow the game back below with our dedicated match blog.
