Germany opened its World Cup campaign with a decisive 7-1 victory over Curaçao on Sunday at Houston’s NRG Stadium, marking a strong return for the four-time champions after disappointing group-stage exits in recent tournaments. The match featured a historic coaching matchup, with Curaçao’s 78-year-old Dick Advocaat becoming the oldest coach in World Cup history facing off against Germany’s 38-year-old Julian Nagelsmann, the youngest coach in this year’s competition.

The scoring began early as Germany took the lead in the sixth minute through Felix Nmecha, who finished a close-range shot assisted by Florian Wirtz. Curaçao responded in the 21st minute with a goal from Livano Comenencia, whose left-footed strike from the center of the box leveled the match and energized supporters of the Caribbean nation, which is making its World Cup debut as the smallest country ever to compete in the tournament.

Germany regained an advantage in the 38th minute when Nico Schlotterbeck headed in a corner kick delivered by Nathaniel Brown. The first half concluded with a penalty converted by Kai Havertz in stoppage time after a foul on Nmecha in the box. Havertz would add two more goals later in the match, including one in the 88th minute.

The German offense continued to build its lead shortly after halftime, with Jamal Musiala scoring in the 47th minute on a right-footed finish. Additional goals came from Nathaniel Brown in the 68th minute and Deniz Undav in the 78th, rounding out the seven-goal haul.

Manuel Neuer, returning to international play at age 40 after coming out of retirement, played in goal for Germany and made a save in his first appearance for the team in nearly two years. The crowd of over 68,000 largely supported the German side, though a passionate contingent cheered for Curaçao throughout the match.

Germany’s convincing performance provides a morale boost as the team aims to advance past the group stage following earlier disappointments in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Looking ahead, Germany is scheduled to face Ivory Coast in Toronto on Saturday, while Curaçao will meet Ecuador in Kansas City on the same day.