Five Things We Learned From Germany 7-1 Curaçao

Five Things We Learned From Germany 7-1 Curaçao

Germany steamrolled past Curaçao in Group E's opener, winning the game 7-1. A dominant display, but an expected one from the four-time World Cup champions.

Let's dive into five things this game taught us.

1. Kai Havertz Is On Fire

Kai Havertz bagged a brace in today's match, and it looks like he hasn't skipped a beat from the end of the season. For Arsenal, since he returned from injury around March time, Havertz was in electric form and keeping £55 million striker Viktor Gyökeres out of the side. Havertz also netted the opener in Arsenal's UEFA Champions League final loss.

A familiar scoreline for Germany at the World Cup 🤩

Kai Haverts makes it 7-1 against Curacao pic.twitter.com/tqU2qCgsnb

— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 14, 2026

When it comes to strikers in the FIFA World Cup, Germany have been blessed over the years. Former hitman Miroslav Klose currently holds the record as the World Cup's highest goalscorer of all time. While this may place unwanted expectation on Havertz's shoulders, the 27-year old does not appear phased at all.

2. Curaçao Fans Are Fantastic

Every World Cup, we see something different from the stands. Whether it's a Moroccan man dancing with the Senegalese, a vuvuzela cacophany, or a South American fiesta, the World Cup is truly the greatest celebration on earth.

When the national anthem played, the emotions were high for the manager, the players, and the fans. Nonetheless, the Curaçao national anthem resounded through Texas this afternoon, and when the side equalised, it was pure chaos.

First 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧 World Cup Match. First 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧 Goal at a World Cup

Thank you for all the support and great atmosphere fans!#TheBlueWave #Curaçao pic.twitter.com/oziXtY1MNr

— Curaçao National Football Team (@TheBlueWaveFFK) June 14, 2026

While the result did not at all go in favour of Curaçao, the fans can be proud of their efforts, and one can be assured they will turn up again in their next fixture.

3. Joshua Kimmich Leads By Example

In September 2024, Joshua Kimmich was appointed as captain of the German national team, and this has proved to be a fantastic move from Julian Nagelsmann,

Kimmich popped up with two assists today from the right-back position. One of the orignal versatile players of the modern era, Kimmich is capable of playing in an array of different positions across the defence and the midfield, and to a fantastic level. Today we saw Joshua Kimmich roll back the years slightly by bombing up and down the right flank.

Forgot Joshua Kimmich was part of the tucked in shirt club 🇩🇪🤘 pic.twitter.com/vh33f6HhGO

— 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙆𝙄𝙏𝙎𝙈𝘼𝙉 (@The_Kitsman) June 14, 2026

Kimmich is a serial winner, achieving it all at club level with Bayern Munich. What's more is that, the last time Germany's starting right-back was the captain, they lifted the trophy.

That's a good Philipp Lahm ridden omen, who knows?

4. Neuer Is Still Doing It

Despite not having much to do today, and despite the conceding a goal, Manuel Neuer put in an astute display between the sticks. This is Neuer's fifth world cup for Germany, which is testament to his longevity and consistency. Neuer remains the only player in the current squad to lift the World Cup trophy.

Aged 40 years, 79 days, Manuel Neuer today becomes Germany's oldest-ever appearance maker at a major tournament.

He's now played in five World Cups: 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026 🐐 pic.twitter.com/H1MDhxyFBp

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) June 14, 2026

Injuries and setbacks have halted the 40-year old in the latter stages of his career, yet make no mistake, there aren't many other keepers you would rather have in goal for your national side.

5. 48 Teams Makes Things More Entertaining

The debate over the expansion of the World Cup has been talked about for years since FIFA announced the new project. Just before the World Cup started, fans were in uproar about the amount of games that would be played over the summer amid concerns about player fitness and welfare. While they held valid points, there is no arguing that having this many teams in the competiton make for some unforgettable and historic moments.

Curaçao has a population of 156,000, making them the smallest ever nation to qualify for the tournament. On top of that, manager Dick Advocaat became the oldest manager to coach in a World Cup. What's more, is that a bigger World Cup allows smaller nations to dream of the unthinkable. When Curaçao responded quickly to Germany's opener, a flurry of optimism rang through the footballing world, and this kind of thing simply did not happen on the same scale when the World Cup was a 32-team competition.

🚨 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆:

Football federations from Ghana, Morocco, Egypt, Senegal, Algeria, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, South Africa and other nations have hit back at UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin’s comments about some World Cup matches being “without interest”.

They say: “There is… pic.twitter.com/rsk7oRrwm0

— Micky Jnr (@MickyJnr__) June 14, 2026

Expansion may have enormous monetary gain for the people upstairs, but it also makes for some compelling TV!