Germany Storms Past Curaçao as Sweden, Ivory Coast and a Thrilling Netherlands-Japan Draw Light Up World Cup Night Four

World Cup 2026’s fourth night delivered a string of standout results, led by Germany’s emphatic 7-1 win over Curaçao, a 2-2 draw between the Netherlands and Japan, Ivory Coast’s 1-0 victory over Ecuador, and Sweden’s surprising 5-1 rout of Tunisia. The day had opened with Germany’s 7-1 demolition of Curaçao, and the evening produced what the article called the tournament’s best match so far in Rotterdam.

Germany, the 2014 champions who had failed to reach the knockout stage in their last two tournaments, made clear they are aiming to return to the spotlight. Felix Nmecha scored in the 6th minute, but Curaçao, making their World Cup debut, stunned the crowd in the 21st minute through Livano Comenencia’s first goal for the nation in the tournament. Germany responded before halftime with goals from Nico Schlotterbeck and Kai Havertz, then ran away with it after the break through Jamal Musiala, Nathaniel Brown on his tournament debut, Deniz Undav, and a second from Havertz. Manuel Neuer played his 20th World Cup match, tying Hugo Lloris’s record for most appearances by a goalkeeper at the tournament.

The Netherlands and Japan produced the night’s most entertaining contest. Virgil van Dijk gave the Dutch the lead with a header in the 51st minute, Kaito Nakamura equalized six minutes later, and Crisensio Summerville restored the Netherlands’ advantage in the 64th minute. Daichi Kamada rescued a point for Japan with a headed equalizer in the 89th minute.

Ivory Coast earned a late 1-0 win over Ecuador thanks to Amad Diallo’s 90th-minute header, their first World Cup win since 2014 and their first ever against South American opposition at a World Cup. The result ended Ecuador’s 19-match unbeaten run in all competitions. Sweden then confirmed its status as a possible dark horse, racing to a 2-0 lead inside 30 minutes and eventually beating Tunisia 5-1.