The German national team, the favorite of Group E of the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, began its performance there with an exceptionally large 7:1 victory over a team representing the smallest state ever to qualify for the main football tournament. After this match, the footballers from Curacao can only be proud of a short period in the middle of the first half, during which they looked no worse than the Germans and were even able to equalize the score, in vain, as it turned out, making them believe that they were capable of creating at least some problems for the giants.
To understand the miraculous properties of a football goal, it was enough to see what happened to Curacao national team coach Dick Advocaat in the middle of the first half, when Livano Comenencia drove the ball into the German net. In an instant, he threw off half a century from his almost 79 years, as if drinking the elixir of youth. You could admire the patriarch’s smile.
This goal, however, was too special. The first for the team of a tiny – smaller ones have not yet reached the world championships – states at the main football tournament. And the course of the meeting gave him sweetness. Just now everything for the German national team was turning out in such a way that not a cloud on the horizon could be seen, as in the Houston sky. The BBC, having assessed the situation, considered it necessary, even just in case, to remind what the biggest victory in the history of the World Championships was. 1982, the Hungarians defeated the Salvadorans with a score of 10:1. That is, the possibility that the German team would set a record was not excluded. Why not? Doesn’t leave the other half at all. Plays easily and is fun. She’s already sent the ball into the opponent’s goal, and what a blast! Everything was played out as in a training session – technically, without tension. And Florian Wirtz’s short pass is beautiful, and Felix Nmechi’s shot is gorgeous. But few people guessed that the German coach Julian Nagelsmann would entrust him with a place in the team: he performed for the national team with a weak nose, competitors – such as Leon Goretzka – were much more seasoned. But Nmecha justifies the trust. He’s everywhere. Now – in the support zone, in a profile position. A moment later he is already playing with Jamal Musiala and Wirtz in front. And I even want to feel sorry for the Curacao team, this little guy who found himself out of his weight category.
But suddenly something changes. The glance catches the Curacao football players approaching the German rear. And in their movements there appears some previously completely imperceptible impudence. And soon that same attack ripens.
Nico Schlotterbeck seems to stop her at the last line, but Comenencia flies in on the rebound, uncovered by no one. The scoreboard shows a draw. And on the Lawyer’s face there is a wide smile. And sparks from his eyes when he sees how, after this, Jurgen Locadia rushes into the German penalty area from the left and falls, bumping into Jonathan Ta, without asking referee Jalal Jayed for a penalty.
And the triumphant period for the “dwarf” continued with feats of a different nature – defensive ones. Goalkeeper Eloy Rom caught the ball with a high jump, sent under the crossbar by Nico Schlotterbeck. Deveron Fonville covered Leroy Zane, who was essentially going one-on-one with Rom, with a risky tackle, but executed so cleanly that you couldn’t find fault with it even if you wanted to.
But at this point the time allotted for football romance in the match was over. The time had begun for harsh football prose, crudely celebrating the superiority of class and experience over the courage of the weak.
The Germans regained the lead thanks to a corner kick. Schlotterbeck did not wait for the serve to reach him, he rushed towards it and clipped the ball into the net. And the calmed down German team again put pressure on their opponents, forcing them to forget about attacks, and at the end of the first half they earned a penalty when Rikhedli Bazur caught Nmechi’s foot in the penalty area. Kai Havertz didn’t screw up the penalty kick. And after the break, Joshua Kimmich and Jamal Musiala demonstrated impeccable understanding. Kimmich, guessing at what moment his partner would rush forward, passed the ball, Musiala dealt with the goalkeeper.
Then there was the football aesthetics of an exclusive level.
Deniz Undava’s backheel pass to Nathaniel Brown for the fifth German goal will clearly be one of the highlights of the first days of the World Cup. The sixth goal went to Undav, who was brought into the empty net by Kimmich. By the way, he could have calmly shot Roma himself, but he decided that greed was inappropriate even in such situations when it’s not scary to waste another moment. Reminders of the result of the 1982 match between the Hungarians and the Salvadorans have become relevant again.
But no, it worked out. The Germans scored only one more goal, with Kai Havertz setting up a scoreline that will be very familiar to his country’s fans. 7:1 in its favor – this is how the German team demolished its hosts in the semi-finals of the 2014 Brazilian World Cup, before, holding out the Argentines in the decisive match, taking gold. Nice pictures and allusions.
