Alemania golea 7-1 a Curazao en el debut mundialista caribeño

Kai Havertz used Germany’s World Cup opener to underline both his finishing touch and his growing role in Julian Nagelsmann’s attack. The Arsenal forward scored once in first-half stoppage time and again in the 88th minute as Germany beat Curazao 7-1 at Houston Stadium, a result that looked comprehensive from the first quarter-hour and stayed that way until the final whistle.

Germany set the tone quickly. Felix Nmecha opened the scoring in the 8th minute, Livano Comenencia turned the ball into his own net in the 21st, and Nico Schlotterbeck made it 3-0 in the 40th. Havertz’s first goal came deep into added time before the break, then Jamal Musiala struck in the 50th, Nathaniel Brown added another in the 68th, and Deniz Undav scored in the 81st before Havertz finished the job late. The official attendance was 68,021.

The performance did show Germany arriving at the 2026 tournament with the kind of control expected from a four-time world champion. With Musiala, Florian Wirtz, Joshua Kimmich and Manuel Neuer also in the side, Germany looked far stronger, faster and more organized than a Curazao team making its first appearance in a men’s World Cup. But the scoreline also reflected the gap in experience and depth as much as it reflected Germany’s ceiling.

That is why Havertz’s double matters. He did not just pad the margin; he scored in two moments that mattered, first to crush any hope of a Curazao response before halftime and then to close the scoring after Germany had already taken complete command. In a match where Germany spread the goals around, Havertz still emerged as one of the clearest central attacking references, not only because of the brace but because he kept appearing in the decisive spaces.

For Curazao, the evening was a hard but historic introduction to World Cup football. The side entered Group E as a debutant and still has Ecuador and Côte d’Ivoire to play, while Germany began its campaign with three points and a message that was as forceful as the final line. The rout proved Germany can overwhelm an overmatched opponent; it does not yet prove how the team will respond when the margins shrink.