The net rippled and Curaçao’s bench exploded in every conceivable direction, their giddiness underpinned by a firm awareness of the goal’s place in history. Livano Comenencia had just equalised against Germany and an island of 158,000 inhabitants, represented here by an accomplished group born almost entirely in the Netherlands, could revel disbelievingly in the moment it had dreamed of.
Reality eventually bit, Julian Nagelsmann’s side declaring on seven and easily avoiding an embarrassment that would have far outdone their group-stage exits in the previous two World Cups. They will surely reach the knockouts this time and could have made absolutely certain by adding several more. Nagelsmann will be pleased that threats emanated from all around the pitch, half a dozen scorers bearing testament to that, but it should go without saying that more accurate tests of strength will have to be navigated over the next month. Kai Havertz, rounding things off neatly with his second goal, will hope to be similarly efficient later on.
But given the procedural nature of things for Germany, who would have faced brickbats if they had not racked up a margin of this kind, the enduring glow lingered around Curaçao. There was the unfettered delight that radiated from their 7,000-strong “blue wave” throughout, ending in a deserved ovation for their team that many among Germany’s support were enthused to join. Then a thought for Dick Advocaat, the oldest-ever World Cup manager at 78 after returning to the role last month, who wiped tears from his eyes in the moments before kick-off.
“The emotions came up and I tried to avoid it, but it happens,” Advocaat said. “It was an incredible moment for the country; we’re just a small town compared to Germany and the other opponents.” What he had just experienced does not come around very often. He had set up Curaçao to give it a go but they had quickly fallen a goal down to Felix Nmecha, who finished beautifully after a smart return pass from Florian Wirtz. Other chances came and went in those early moments before Comenencia, the FC Zurich midfielder, almost raised this vast, vertiginous venue’s closed roof.
Curaçao had warmed into the game, working some enticing spaces via the clever footwork of Tahith Chong, when a rapid attack down the right was only half dealt with by Nico Schlotterbeck. Jürgen Locadia, seizing on the loose ball, had a shot blocked but Comenencia was not to be denied. He cracked the follow-up past Manuel Neuer via a slight deflection and wrote a surely indelible entry in World Cup lore.
Advocaat’s players went straight back on the attack. They were coursing with adrenaline and momentum but were almost immediately halted by the now standard three-minute “hydration break”, apparently still necessary in a stadium cooled to about 22C. Instead of football a pulsating crowd was distracted by a mariachi band performance from a stage in one of the corners. Nobody should be deluded: Germany would have won this match regardless. But nor should anyone avoid an uncomfortable truth: the game’s balance shifted after Julian Nagelsmann was granted the opportunity to talk sense into a rattled-looking group. Who, exactly, do these pauses serve? An honest answer would go a long way.
“We needed a little bit and the drinks break was actually good,” Nagelsmann said. He admitted Curaçao’s approach had caused a degree of surprise. Germany gathered themselves to create a stream of opportunities before Schlotterbeck, earlier denied by the busy Eloy Room, glanced Nathaniel Brown’s corner across the keeper. By half-time they had in effect completed the job, the constantly marauding Nmecha winning a penalty that Havertz converted nonchalantly.
“We lost by a larger margin than we expected, but we know how good the Germans are,” Advocaat said. They showed it in scoring four more against a defence that could muster only so many last-ditch blocks. Jamal Musiala chopped in a confidence-boosting angled finish from Joshua Kimmich’s slide-rule pass and, midway through the second period, the impressive left-back Brown steered in a deft volley. Brown, 23 on Tuesday, is nearing a £47m move to Bayern Munich and appears to have solved a long standing problem position for Nagelsmann.
“Once we woke up, we turned it on,” Brown said. The substitute Deniz Undav tapped in and Havertz ran clear late on to finish with style against opponents who continued to attempt a front-foot approach despite the glaring pitfalls. Curaçao would even have found another moment to savour if Leandro Bacuna or Jearl Margaritha had located the target.
“Just defending will definitely lead to defeat so we tried to play more offensively, but it didn’t work on all fronts,” Advocaat said. That was true enough, but the blue wave had swept unforgettably in and out of Texas.
