Germany made a strong start to their 2026 World Cup campaign. On Sunday, June 14th in Houston, Ivory Coast's second opponent in Group E recorded the biggest win of the tournament so far, crushing Curaçao 7-1. This dominant performance sends a clear message to Emerse Faé's Elephants, who begin their campaign tonight against Ecuador.

A historic equalizer... before the storm

Julian Nagelsmann's players immediately took control of the match, making their dominance count as early as the 6th minute thanks to a quick opening goal from Felix Nmecha . Despite several missed opportunities by Leroy Sané,

Germany seemed to be heading for an easy match when the dramatic turn of events occurred.

In the 21st minute, taking advantage of a lapse in the German defense, Livano Comenencia equalized for Curaçao, scoring in the process the very first goal in the history of his country in the final phase of the World Cup.

The hope of a Caribbean upset was short-lived, however. Quickly resuming their forward momentum, the Germans regained the lead before halftime.

1. 38th minute: Nico Schlotterbeck puts his team back in front from a corner (2-1).
2. 45th+5 minute: Kai Havertz converts a penalty just before the return to the dressing rooms (3-1).

The German team's attacking festival

The second half turned into a rout for Dick Advocaat's men. Right after the restart (46th minute), Jamal Musiala extinguished Curaçao's last hopes by scoring their fourth goal.

Completely unleashed, Germany played their attacking game at the end of the match:

1. 68th: The young Brown adds to the score (5-1).
2. 78th minute: Deniz Undav, who had barely entered the game, joins the party (6-1).
3. 88th minute: Kai Havertz scores a brace to close out the festival (7-1).

Key takeaways: Despite the lopsided scoreline, Curaçao leaves Houston proudly having scored their first-ever goal in the competition. Meanwhile, Germany temporarily takes the lead in Group E.

This first successful clash by the Germans already sets the stage for the highly anticipated match against Ivory Coast, scheduled for June 20th .