{"id":213962,"date":"2026-06-16T03:12:41","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T03:12:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/germany-begin-world-cup-with-crushing-win-but-did-curacao-fall-foul-of-the-hydration-break-the-athletic-the-new-york-times\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T03:12:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T03:12:41","slug":"germany-begin-world-cup-with-crushing-win-but-did-curacao-fall-foul-of-the-hydration-break-the-athletic-the-new-york-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/germany-begin-world-cup-with-crushing-win-but-did-curacao-fall-foul-of-the-hydration-break-the-athletic-the-new-york-times\/","title":{"rendered":"Germany begin World Cup with crushing win. But did Curacao fall foul of the hydration break? – The Athletic – The New York Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

World Cup
FIFA World
Cup 2026
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Felix Nmecha gave Germany the lead in an entertaining game in Houston Lars Baron\/Getty Images<\/span>
Get free access to the most comprehensive World Cup coverage in The Athletic app<\/a><\/span><\/i>.<\/i>
Germany overpowered tournament debutants Curacao to begin their World Cup<\/a> campaign with a dominant 7-1 victory \u2014 but only after the tiny Caribbean island enjoyed a famous moment and briefly threatened an upset.
When Livano Comenencia cancelled out Felix Nmecha\u2019s excellent opener midway through the first half, there were wild scenes of celebration among those f<\/a>ans of The Blue Wave<\/a> who had managed to get tickets for the game at NRG Stadium in Houston.
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Ranked 82nd in the world and with a population of just over 150,000, any kind of positive result against the four-time winners would have been one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history.
But Germany \u2014 helped by the hydration break (more on that below) \u2014 kept their composure and were 3-1 up by the break thanks to Nico Schlotterbeck\u2019s header and a Kai Havertz penalty.
Second-half strikes from Jamal Musiala, Nathaniel Brown, Deniz Undav and a second from Havertz wrapped things up for Julian Nagelsmann\u2019s side.
The size of the victory means Germany take a commanding early lead in Group E, with Ivory Coast and Ecuador meeting later.
Seb Stafford-Bloor, Chris Waugh, Nick Miller and Chris Branch analyse the key talking points.
Did we learn anything about whether Germany can be genuine contenders at this tournament? I\u2019m not sure we were ever going to, really. Instead, this game confirmed everything we knew prior to kick-off: Nagelsmann has some decadently-gifted playmakers who can dovetail beautifully, but his team have a brittle quality at the back that makes them vulnerable.
In his recent column for The Athletic<\/em><\/a>, Philipp Lahm expressed his concern that Germany did not defend well enough as a team and that to go far at the World Cup, they would have to become more compact without the ball and better at suppressing counter-attacks. Curacao proved him right; even with their disadvantages, they were able to mine chances on the break and, prior to the first-half hydration break, looked relatively dangerous.
Imagine what a stronger team might have done? This is a systemic gremlin that the Germans just cannot seem to get rid of. They lack the outstanding individual quality they used to have in certain positions but it\u2019s more than that; it\u2019s a team-wide problem.
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At the other end of the pitch, things were much more promising. Florian Wirtz, Musiala and Havertz combined nicely, with plenty of flair, and Nmecha, beyond just his goal, showed what a problem he can be in attacking situations. It was a nice blend, and subduing this side will be a challenge for most teams at the tournament.
But there\u2019s work to do here, certainly.
Seb Stafford-Bloor<\/em>
For 17 minutes, Curacao \u2014 and a global audience of neutral observers \u2014 dared to dream.
Having been battered for the first 19 minutes, barely leaving their own half, a first foray forwards and a wild shot from Leandro Bacuna suddenly gave the minnows a boost of confidence. Two minutes later, Curacao got in behind Germany down the right and Jurgen Locadia\u2019s initial effort was blocked.
But the German defensive intervention was not decisive. Instead, the ball ricocheted into space, allowing Comenencia to fire in a fierce low effort that Joshua Kimmich inadvertently deflected out of Manuel Neuer\u2019s reach.