{"id":2732,"date":"2026-06-14T22:32:53","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T22:32:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2732"},"modified":"2026-06-14T22:32:53","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T22:32:53","slug":"kai-havertz-sparks-germanys-7-1-rout-of-curacao-after-underdogs-historic-first-goal-in-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2732","title":{"rendered":"Kai Havertz sparks Germany\u2019s 7-1 rout of Curacao after underdogs\u2019 historic first goal in World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"
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HOUSTON \u2014 Germany\u2019s seven-goal rout of Curacao in its World Cup opener on Sunday was the perfect outcome to overshadow a close first half and boost the team after consecutive group stage exits for the four-time champions.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Kai Havertz scored two goals as Germany pulled away from World Cup first-timer Curacao and piled it on in a 7-1 win in group play. The smallest country to ever appear in the tournament hung tight at 1-1 until the 38th minute.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe really needed this convincing win,\u201d coach Julian Nagelsmann said. \u201cWe needed this self confidence. It was there but it definitely grew.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

He said Sunday\u2019s display was important for the country\u2019s fans.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to show them that we can perform and we have to have the confidence,\u201d he said. \u201cI think we\u2019re in a better spot than we were entering this match.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Livano Comenencia tied it at 1-1 with his left-footed shot through traffic from the center of the box in the 21st minute to give Curacao its first goal in the tournament and send fans of the tiny Caribbean nation into a frenzy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEven though it wasn\u2019t me, it felt like it was me, it was all of us, the whole island, everybody,\u201d Curacao\u2019s Jearl Margaritha said. \u201cWe screamed our lungs out. So we were happy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

It was all Germany after that with the team regaining the lead on Nico Schlotterbeck\u2019s header off Nathaniel Brown\u2019s corner kick in the 38th.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne team has very high expectations and the other one doesn\u2019t and that\u2019s a bit tricky,\u201d Nagelsmann said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The margin of victory comes well short of the World Cup record of nine goals which has happened three times, with the last one coming when Hungary beat El Salvador 10-1 in 1982.<\/span><\/p>\n

Havertz connected on a penalty shot into the left goal in first half stoppage time to make it 3-1. Germany was awarded the penalty shot after Felix Nmecha was tripped in the box by Riechedly Bazoer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Related: <\/span><\/span>More coverage from the World Cup<\/div>\n

Germany wasted no time after halftime to extend the lead with Jamal Musiala scoring on a right-footed shot across the goalkeeper\u2019s area in the 47th minute.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Brown scored in the 68th minute to push the advantage to 5-1. The 22-year-old has an American father, but made it clear ahead of the World Cup he\u2019d be representing the country in which he was born and raised by his mother.<\/span><\/p>\n

Deniz Undav added a goal in the 78th minute. Havertz\u2019s second goal came in the 88th.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

It was a strong start for Germany against underdog Curacao as the team seeks redemption after failing to get out of the group stage in Russia and Qatar following its 2014 title.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are on the right path but of course there are things that we can do better and we will have stronger opponents,\u201d Nagelsmann said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nmecha one timed it with his right foot into the near post just inside the upper box with an assist from Florian Wirtz in the sixth minute to make it 1-0.<\/span><\/p>\n

The crowd of 68,021 was overwhelming rooting for Germany but there was a spirited contingent of people cheering on Curacao .<\/span><\/p>\n

It was the first match of the tournament at Houston Stadium, normally called NRG Stadium where the NFL\u2019s Houston Texans play.<\/span><\/p>\n

Related: <\/span><\/span>See photos from the first World Cup gameday in Boston<\/div>\n

Manuel Neuer, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who came out of international retirement for the tournament, had one save in his first appearance for Germany in almost two years.<\/span><\/p>\n

The match featured the largest age gap between coaches in World Cup history with Curacao\u2019s 78-year-old coach Dick Advocaat becoming the oldest ever in the tournament against 38-year-old Nagelsmann, who is the youngest coach in this year\u2019s tournament.<\/span><\/p>\n

Germany faces Ivory Coast in its next match in Toronto on Saturday and Curacao meets Ecuador Saturday in Kansas City.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Livano Comencencia scored Curacao’s first ever World Cup goal in the 21st minute to tie the game at 1-1, but the powerhouse Germans took control of the game after that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2731,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"yoast_head":"\nKai Havertz sparks Germany\u2019s 7-1 rout of Curacao after underdogs\u2019 historic first goal in World Cup - Boston Relocation Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2732\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kai Havertz sparks Germany\u2019s 7-1 rout of Curacao after underdogs\u2019 historic first goal in World Cup - 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