On Sunday, June 14, at the NRG Stadium in Houston, one of the most anticipated matches of the opening round of the 2026 World Cup group stage took place. In Group E, the German national team faced an exotic opponent — the Curaçao squad. The match, which was expected to be a formality, turned into a thrilling drama with unexpected twists and a powerful final note from the favorites.

Sensational Strike and Counterattack

The start of the match followed a classic scenario: the German footballers immediately launched an attacking game. As early as the 6th minute, Felix Nmecha opened the scoring. Following an elegant combination with Florian Wirtz on the left flank, he delivered a precise curling shot from the edge of the box, sending the ball past the right post.

However, the team coached by the legendary Dick Advocaat did not give up. In the 21st minute, they shocked the European favorites: Ravello Comenencia picked up a rebound on the penalty line and struck a powerful shot past Manuel Neuer. The sensational 1-1 score forced the German national team to noticeably nervously step up their pace.

Goalkeeper Heroics and "Die Mannschaft" Dominance

The Germans launched a real assault on the opponent's goal, where the islanders' goalkeeper, Eloy Room, performed incredible miracles. The Curaçao keeper first saved the team from a difficult shot by Niklas Süle aimed at the crossbar, and then blocked Leroy Sané's shot from a few meters away.

The pressure from the favorites eventually bore fruit before halftime. In the 38th minute, following a corner kick cross, Niklas Süle spectacularly headed the ball into the left corner of the goal — 2-1. And in stoppage time, Timothy Bazur fouled the active Nmecha inside his own penalty area. Kai Havertz calmly converted the penalty, sending the teams to the break with a score of 3-1.

Rout in the Second Half

From the start of the second half, the Germans finally settled all questions about the winner. Already in the 47th minute, Joshua Kimmich delivered a precise pass to Jamal Musiala, who skillably rolled the ball under the far post from a sharp angle.

In the middle of the second half, the Curaçao team even scored an equalizer, but the referees disallowed the goal due to an obvious "kilometer-long" offside. However, the Germans continued to score exclusively by the rules:

  • In the 68th minute, Nathaniel Brown received a spectacular backheel pass from a teammate inside the box and blasted the ball into the bottom right corner from a few meters.
  • In the 78th minute, the islanders' defense was completely torn apart, and Deniz Undav finished the pass into an empty net.
  • The final touch was added by Havertz in the 88th minute. The striker ran onto a one-on-one with the goalkeeper and spectacularly chipped him from the edge of the penalty area.

Match Summary

The attempt to upset the giant ended in disaster for the underdog, while the German machine confidently secured their first three points. In another match of the opening round of Group E, the national teams of Ivory Coast and Ecuador will meet. This match will take place on the night of Monday, June 15, at 2:00 AM Kyiv time.