Month: June 2026

Germany cruised past the smallest nation ever to reach a World Cup, but the lopsided scoreline over Curaçao doesn’t answer some of the pre-tournament doubts about the four-time champion. Felix Nmecha had the favorites ahead inside six minutes, and by the hour mark, this was a procession. Curaçao did get its moment — and it was a special one for a nation that boasts a population of just 158,000 people. But 7-1 is 7-1. Here are my takeaways from Germany’s opening win: Forget the opponent for a second. Jamal Musiala was finally one of the best players on the field for Germany, and that matters more than the seven goals. He tormented Curaçao for 45 minutes, drifted into every dangerous pocket and finally got his reward after the break, taking a Joshua Kimmich pass and finishing into the far corner past a stranded Eloy Room. This is the version of Musiala that Germany has been waiting for since the leg break that wrecked most of his last year. Florian Wirtz worked well alongside him. These two gelling and creating magic in possession will be the biggest factor in whether Germany makes a deep run at this tournament. Julian Nagelsmann built this squad around a young attacking core, and in the opening match, that core looked exactly as advertised. When Musiala plays and combines like this, Germany can trouble any team at the World Cup. A team representing a country of less than 160,000 people just walked onto a pitch at a World Cup, and for 17 minutes it was level with a four-time champion. Livano Comenencia’s deflected strike — Curaçao’s first goal in tournament history — is exactly the kind of feel good story that most neutrals attach themselves to. Its 78-year-old manager, Dick Advocaat, facing 38-year-old Nagelsmann in the largest age gap between opposing bosses in World Cup history, earned his place in the trivia books too. Here’s the flip side. A 48-team field invites both Cinderella stories and blowouts. For every Curaçao fairytale, the final score reflected the difference between the CONCACAF debutant and a European heavyweight. It’s a gap that makes the final score a sobering reality for the minnow nation. Expect plenty more of these over the next two weeks. It’s an inevitable result of having a bigger party. Resist the urge to take too much away from the final scoreline when evaluating the European giants. Curaçao sat in a deep block, mustered only a handful of shots all night and was never equipped to test this team across 90 minutes. A result like this is often the least informative in football. We didn’t learn whether Nagelsmann has solved his toughest questions, because Curaçao was never going to ask them. The build-up looked slick, but slick against this level of resistance is the baseline expectation, not evidence of anything. The real reading starts against the Ivory Coast on June 20, then Ecuador on June 25. For now, file this one under job done — three points, an otherworldly goal difference and no serious injuries to key players. If there’s one thing to take from this game — and, again, I’m nitpicking — it’s this: Germany switched off for a few minutes and let the smallest nation in the tournament to draw level from basically its first real attack. Comenencia’s goal took a deflection, but the back line was caught flat, and that’s the recurring German flaw nobody has fixed. While Antonio Rüdiger steadies things, the defensive pieces around him aren’t perfect. They lack the gravitas we’ve seen from center backs representing Germany at previous tournaments. The attack scored seven, so the noise will focus on the forwards — but look closer. Nagelsmann still lacks a settled, proven No. 9. Even though one of my breakout prediction players, Deniz Undav, scored once and assisted twice, it’s a case of not getting carried away just yet. Against the Ivory Coast’s pace or a genuine contender in the knockouts, things will be different. The talent is obvious in midfield, but looming questions remain at the back and up front.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports