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Germany, seeking redemption after being knocked out in the group stage twice, avoided a rough start in Houston on Sunday against the little giant Curaçao (7-1), admirable but way too limited for their first World Cup appearance.
In the end, the four-time world champion Mannschaft with its stars from Bayern, Liverpool, or Arsenal, got the big win they had come for in the air-conditioned, closed-roof stadium in Texas.
But their very modest opponent, 82nd in the FIFA rankings, a small piece of the Dutch Caribbean led by players from the Netherlands, also got to enjoy a part of the celebration.Their fans brought the pre-match to life with chants, dances, scarves and flags in the air, cheering with joy when images of their small island with paradise beaches off the coast of Venezuela were shown on the giant screens.
And they got an amazing memory to last a lifetime when Livano Comenencia scored an equalizer on a shot slightly deflected by captain Joshua Kimmich, to the great misfortune of Manuel Neuer (21st minute, 1-1).You had to see the experienced goalkeeper Eloy Room (37), on the opposite end of the field, jump for joy in front of the stand full of his ecstatic fans, while the substitutes and staff flooded the pitch, over the moon.
“Not ashamed”
It added a bit of drama to a match that was otherwise very one-sided, and was ultimately won quite convincingly by the young coach Julian Nagelsmann (38) against the veteran Dick Advocaat, who at 78 became the oldest coach to ever take charge at the World Cup.The other veteran of the day, Manuel Neuer (40), didn’t really have much to do for his big return to the national team, two years after leaving it.
The level will be much higher in the next match, against Ivory Coast in Toronto, where the Bayern Munich goalkeeper will become the most capped goalkeeper in World Cup history, ahead of Hugo Lloris and his 20 appearances.
“We were patient and played with the right intensity,” summarized Nagelsmann. This opening win “gives us a bit of breathing space, but we won’t rest on our laurels,” he promised.On Sunday, his players started flat out and scored in less than six minutes through Felix Nmecha, assisted by Florian Wirtz (6th minute, 1-0). But the ‘blue wave’ team on the other side held up well for a long time against the multiple attacks, until they managed to equalize.
Unfortunately for them, the gap in quality eventually became clear, as the exhausted defense started to crack everywhere.
‘They were just too strong, and we gave them a few easy goals,’ noted Advocaat. The final score hurts, but ‘it’s not shameful’ because the German team ‘is worth 850 million and Curaçao, 25.’Before halftime, the Mannschaft relied on set pieces: a corner taken by defender Nico Schlotterbeck, who headed it in at the near post (38th minute, 2-1), followed by a penalty perfectly placed by Kai Havertz (45+5th minute, 3-1).
After the break, Jamal Musiala kicked off the goal spree (47th minute, 4-1), followed by Nathaniel Brown (68th), Deniz Undaz (78th), and Havertz again (88th).
At the final whistle, the fans from Curaçao applauded their heroes, despite the heavy defeat. They’ll have at least two more chances to cheer them on, against Ecuador and then Ivory Coast.
Jérémy TALBOT
