Germany storms past Curaçao after historic first World Cup goal

Germany opened its 2026 World Cup campaign on Sunday in Houston with a dominant 7-1 win over Curaçao in Group E, but the match will also be remembered in Curaçao for its first-ever World Cup goal. Germany took the lead in the sixth minute through Felix Nmecha, yet Curaçao responded in the 21st minute when Livano Comenencia scored to make it 1-1 in their tournament debut. Kenji Gora of Maccabi Haifa was on Curaçao's bench and celebrated the historic moment with his teammates.

The equalizer did not last long. Nico Schlotterbeck restored Germany's lead with a header in the 38th minute, and Kai Havertz converted a stoppage-time penalty before halftime to make it 3-1. The second half became one-sided quickly, as Jamal Musiala scored immediately after the restart.

Deniz Undav then made his mark off the bench, setting up Nathaniel Brown for his first goal for Germany, scoring himself in the 78th minute, and later providing a second assist. Havertz completed his brace in the 88th minute to seal the 7-1 result. The match also saw Manuel Neuer become the oldest player ever to appear for Germany in a World Cup game.

For coach Julian Nagelsmann, it was a 10th straight victory. Germany's performance sent a clear message to the other teams in Group E and the tournament favorites, while Curaçao can at least take pride in its historic first World Cup goal and look ahead to matches against Ecuador and Ivory Coast for its first points in the competition.