Curaçao's debut ends 7–1, Ecuador showdown next

7–1, but your team made history

Curaçao walked onto a World Cup pitch for the first time Sunday, and yes, Germany ran away with it 7–1 in Houston (1) (3) (6). The scoreline hurts. But that first World Cup goal, that belongs to your country forever. Joshua Kimmich summed it up: "It was an expected win for us, but the way it happened was very dominant" (1). Germany's attack, Musiala, Wirtz, Nmecha, clicked from the start, and substitute Deniz Undav added a goal and two assists in 24 minutes (1). Dick Advocaat was visibly emotional before kick-off. Everyone knew what the night meant.

Ecuador next: a must-win survival shootout

No time to dwell. Ecuador await on June 21, and both teams need points to stay alive in Group E (2) (4). Ecuador lost their opener and are in the same desperate spot. Enner Valencia leads the line under Sebastián Beccacece, and they will throw everything at your team (2). Win, and the World Cup dream stays alive. Lose, and it is over.

Even Sané struggled against your backline

Leroy Sané left Houston without a goal or assist, and he knows it. "I'm not stressing about that. When it happens, it happens," he said (3). Pierre Littbarski, never an easy critic of Sané, went further: "I've always been a critic of Leroy Sané, but against Curaçao I thought even he was good" (5). German pundits did not treat Curaçao as a punching bag. They saw a team that made them work.

Kimmich: nobody here has won anything

The Germans are hungry, and Kimmich made that plain. "Apart from Manuel Neuer, nobody here has won anything. You can see there is a special hunger to achieve something big," he said (6). Your team was the first test for a generation chasing its first trophy. That is the level of opposition Curaçao stood across from.