Germany's "Panzer" squad poured in seven goals to thrash Curacao, the small Caribbean island nation making its first appearance in the World Cup finals.
Germany routed Curacao 7-1 in their opening Group E match of the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America, held at Houston Stadium in Texas on Sunday (Korea time). Six players found the net for Germany, led by Kai Havertz, who scored a brace. Deniz Undav recorded one goal and two assists, while Joshua Kimmich registered multiple assists to lead the rout.
Germany struck first just six minutes into the match. Felix Nmecha exchanged a one-two pass with Florian Wirtz, then burst into the penalty area and shook the net with a first-time shot.
Curacao did not back down easily. In the 21st minute of the first half, they converted their first shot on target in World Cup finals history straight into their first goal. When Jurgen Locadia's shot deflected off a defender, Livano Comenencia, who plays for Zurich in Switzerland, finished with a left-footed strike. The ball deflected off Kimmich's body, slipped past goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, and was sucked into the net.
But Germany immediately retook the lead. In the 38th minute, from a corner kick, Nathaniel Brown delivered a cross that Nico Schlotterbeck finished with a header. Then, in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time, Havertz stepped up as the penalty kicker and calmly converted to make it 3-1 at the break.
The second half was Germany's show. Jamal Musiala marked his World Cup debut goal just two minutes after the restart, and in the 23rd minute Brown pierced the net with a powerful right-footed volley. Ten minutes later, Undav, who had come on as a substitute, scored off a Kimmich pass, and in the 43rd minute Havertz completed his brace with a delicate chip shot over goalkeeper Eloy after receiving a through ball from Undav, putting a full stop to the 7-1 rout.
Despite the heavy defeat, Curacao also left meaningful history. The small island nation of 150,000 people set the remarkable record of being the "least populous nation" ever to reach the World Cup finals. They then created an unforgettable moment by scoring their first-ever World Cup goal, against Germany.
