Germany World Cup Chances Not Yet Judged, Says Kimmich After Curacao Rout

Germany’s 7-1 victory over Curacao delivered another heavy World Cup scoreline, yet Joshua Kimmich insisted judgement on Germany’s title prospects must wait until the group stage ends. The Group E opener on Sunday pushed Germany’s attacking numbers to historic levels, but Kimmich highlighted weaknesses in defence and pointed to tougher fixtures against Ivory Coast and Ecuador later in the schedule.

The result moved Germany to 239 World Cup goals overall, taking the national team ahead of Brazil’s tally of 238. It was also the fourth time Germany scored at least seven in a World Cup match, which moved the four-time winners past Hungary for the most such games in tournament history, underlining a long tradition of high-scoring displays.

Curacao, the smallest nation ever to reach the World Cup finals, created an early twist after Felix Nmecha gave Germany the lead. Nmecha struck in the sixth minute with a precise finish, but Curacao responded on 21 minutes when Livano Comenencia’s deflected shot beat Manuel Neuer, delivering Curacao’s first World Cup goal and briefly exposing Germany’s defensive structure.

Comenencia’s strike also set a wider tournament mark, becoming the earliest goal scored by a team on World Cup debut since Nigeria’s opener against Bulgaria in 1994, which also came in the 21st minute. That moment gave Curacao a short spell of belief and raised questions about Germany’s ability to stay compact against more tested attacks later in Group E.

Germany regained control before the interval through aerial strength and composure from the penalty spot. Nico Schlotterbeck headed Germany back in front, then Kai Havertz converted a penalty to secure a 3-1 half-time advantage. After the restart, Jamal Musiala, Nathaniel Brown, Deniz Undav and another finish from Havertz widened the gap and confirmed the seven-goal margin.

The pattern of scoring showed Germany’s variety in attack, with goals arriving from open play, set-pieces and a spot-kick. Yet the early equaliser, conceded despite territorial dominance, triggered debate among analysts who argued that stronger opposition might punish such lapses. Those critics suggested the final scoreline disguised periods where Germany lacked defensive stability.

That discussion shaped Kimmich’s post-match comments, as Kimmich rejected any early claims that Germany are already favourites to collect a record-equalling fifth World Cup crown. Kimmich reminded observers that Curacao are not regarded as an elite side and that the next two fixtures, against Ivory Coast and Ecuador, should reveal more about Germany’s real competitive level.

"It was an expected win for us, but the way it happened was very dominant, Kimmich told reporters. We have seen that to win by such a score is not expected. Both the other teams are physically very strong and they can deal well with the conditions. We played the first game against an opponent who is certainly not world-class. Now come some challenges where we can see where we stand. We have great qualities to hurt opponents. We need to work on stability and reduce the goals we concede, even against a small opponent. Let's play the next two matches and then all the experts can better evaluate where we stand. We have now won 10 games in a row. I have the feeling that we are on a good path."

Kimmich’s reference to a run of 10 straight wins underlines Germany’s momentum under Julian Nagelsmann, though the midfielder again stressed performance levels over statistics. The comments also reflected awareness of physical conditions at this tournament, as Ivory Coast and Ecuador are expected to test Germany’s ability to deal with intensity and athleticism across 90 minutes.

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Germany next meet Ivory Coast, who also collected three points in their opening match, in Toronto on Saturday, before travelling to New Jersey to face Ecuador five days later. Those two games will decide Germany’s final Group E position and offer clearer evidence of whether this high-scoring start can translate into a sustained World Cup challenge.