Key events<\/p>\n
Anyhow, Nick Ames\u2019 report is in\u2026<\/p>\n
\u2026 which means we\u2019re finished here. Thanks all for your company and comments \u2013 sorry I couldn\u2019t use them all, but please do keep them coming \u2013 and enjoy the next game!<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cSorry Daniel,\u201d begins John Donnelly, \u201cbut did you really say if Curacao keep their composure against Ecuador you never know? The same Ecuador that finished second to Argentina in the South America qualifiers, ahead of Brazil, Uruguay and Colombia? Hmmm … I highly doubt it\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou never know\u201d is hardly an emphatic pronouncement, but it\u2019s also worth noting that Quito is the second-highest capital city in the world; Kansas City is not. But of course, Ecuador are strong favourites.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt would have been interesting to see how Germany<\/a> would have coped without the first-half water break,\u201d reckons Luke Jones. \u201cThey were actually reeling a little before that, and totally regrouped and regained momentum after the break. It\u2019s crazy how we have accepted three-minute quarter breaks as just a routine part of the game. This game was played inside with climate control!\u201d<\/p>\n I\u2019m not sure what choice we\u2019ve got but agree with all the rest. It confers an artificial, unearned advantage, and the man with ultimate responsibility, Gianni Infantino, doesn\u2019t grasp that football doesn\u2019t exist to make money, rather makes money \u2013 and lots of it \u2013 because it exists.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Rob Smyth is building us up to Netherlands v Japan, which might well be one of the matches of the group stages.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Share<\/a><\/p>\n I say that, but at 18, Lamine Yamal, though not at his peak, is good enough right now to be worthy of noting.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n And two countries, Brazil and the Netherlands, famous for fantasy attackers, have one, Vinicius Jr, between them. Across the board, we\u2019re probably missing all-time greats at their peaks, but the depth of quality is an outrage.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n I\u2019m not sure I can remember a World Cup<\/a> with this many potential winners \u2013 and aside from the countries I mentioned, look out for Morocco, USA and Cote d\u2019Ivoire, all of whom can beat the traditional powers. There are so many brilliant players in the world these days that lots of countries have them, and the athleticism that helps shut them down is uniform.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Do Germany<\/a> look like potential winners? Well, the best sides tend to improve through the tournament, and it\u2019s rare that the best one in the first round of matches is the one running about with the trophy at the end of the final. But Musiala is good enough to win them any game and Pavlovic is also excellent, but I\u2019d not fancy them against France, Portugal or Spain, and I also think England and Argentina could beat them.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Share<\/a><\/p>\n I enjoyed that. As Peter Oh emails, \u201cDespite the scoreline, Cura\u00e7ao<\/a> continue to work hard and see out the match with intensity and desire. Lovely to see\u201d \u2013 and I agree. There was no headloss, and if they keep their composure against Ecuador, you never know.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>FULL TIME: Germany 7-1 Cura\u00e7ao<\/p>\n Germany are away, but if these group stages deliver a more affirming moment than Curacao\u2019s equaliser, we\u2019ll be doing very well \u2013 and we know for almost-certain that they will.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 90+5 min Raum, who almost scored a while ago, clearly facies himself a World Cup<\/a> goal \u2026 no, he chips over the wall, but an awkward bounce takes the ball away, and that\u2019ll be full time.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 90+3 min Germany are going for eight, mercilessly snapping into challenges and hurling men forward. They’ll want this to be a statement victory and win a free-kick just outside the D, just left of centre\u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 90+2 min The maddest thing about that Germany<\/a> 7-1 Brazil game is that Brazil came out for the second half. At 5-0, surely you just do a mass runner?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.01 EDT<\/p>\n 90 min We\u2019ll have five additional minutes.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>GOAL! Germany 7-1 Curacao (Havertz 88)<\/p>\n Are Curacao now as good as Brazil? Goretzka slides into a hard challenge, robbing Antonisse, and when the ball squirts loose, Undav slips a perfect pass in behind for Havertz, lanking through the middle. He does really well to hold off the defender and actually movers slightly wider making his finish harder, but he waits and waits then, when the keeper feels obliged to act, wedges an expert\u2019s finish over his dive, a finessed version of his Champions League final goal.<\/p>\n Kai Havertz of Germany scores his team\u2019s seventh goal. Photograph: Lars Baron\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.57 EDT<\/p>\n 88 min I don\u2019t often feel this way about 6-1 tousings, but this has been an enjoyable contest, Curacao sticking in it for almost a half and Germany<\/a> taking their goals nicely, the whole match played at decent tempo.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 86 min Undav pulls left and slips a pass in behind for Raum, who shoots low, hard \u2026 and straight at Room, who saves well with his feet.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 84 min I guess this is giving us decent gen on who Nagelsmann likes \u2013 the players not getting on today feel like those least likely to get on during the tournament. I was hoping to see Angelo Stiller, another I think might thrive in slower-paced games, but I guess IU\u2019m not surprised to see Goretzka deployed instead of him.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 83 min another Curacao change, Kastaneer replacing Chong, while Germany<\/a> send on Anton for Kimmich.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 80 min I like what I\u2019ve seen of Cote d\u2019Ivoire recently \u2013 they\u2019ll be a good test for Germany<\/a> and the two meet on Saturday \u2013 9pm BST.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>GOAL! Germany 6-1 Curacao (Undav 78)<\/p>\n Havertz crosses low from the left and though it runs between the various attackers therein, Kimmich retrieves. A poor first touch ruins his own chances of scoring, but he squares for Undav, loitering about the six-yard box, and he finishes off the defender for his seventh goal in his last seven international appearances.<\/p>\n Germany’s Deniz Undav scores their sixth goal. Photograph: Pedro Nunes\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.48 EDT<\/p>\n 75 min \u201cComenencia has now scored more goals against Germany<\/a> than Messi, CR7, Zlatan, Henry, Iniesta and Wayne Rooney … combined,\u201d says Waw Waw, \u201cincluding WC, Euro, and friendlies.\u201d<\/p>\n Meantime, Curacao fancy another, Margaritha trying a curler from the left of the box and only just missing the far angle.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 74 min A triple change for Germany<\/a>, Tah, Nmecha and Schlotterbeck taking a blow, with Rudiger, Raum and Goretzka replacing them.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 72 min So, back to Michael Meagher, who says \u201cNagelsmann changed his shirt at half-time! Was he reading the MBM?\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s the only plausible conclusion to draw, but what does the writing say?<\/p>\n Photograph: Annegret Hilse\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n 70 min \u2026and so he is. The goal stands, and it\u2019s now time for a water break, though it\u2019s not especially hot. I daresay Curacao are glad of it.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 69 min Was Brown offside? I think he\u2019s on, just\u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 69 min But VAR wants a look\u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a>GOAL! Germany 5-1 Curacao (Brown 68)<\/p>\n Wirtz punches another pass into the box and Undav\u2019s adroit first-time flick around the corner puts Brown in \u2026 and he keeps his knee above an awkward bouncing ball to lace a fine finish into the far corner.<\/p>\n Germany’s Nathaniel Brown celebrates scoring their fifth goal. Photograph: Pedro Nunes\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.41 EDT<\/p>\n 68 min Curacao have the ball i the net but the naked eye tells us Leandro Bacuna was miles offside. Meanwhile, Michael Meagher emails \u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 67 min The other teams in this group, by the way, are Ecuador and Cote d\u2019Ivoire, who meet four-and-a-half hours from now. If Curacao hit a similar level of performance, they may yet surprise us.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 65 min Changes: Germany<\/a> send on Undav for Musiala, who needs protecting, and Curacao try Margaritha for Locadia.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 63 min Tah espies Sane running off the shoulder and flights a gorgeous ball that sticks him in! He takes a shot, steadies, opens his body, and punches his first World Cup<\/a> goal into the far corner \u2026 except he sends it wide. You\u2019ll go a long way before you see as clinical, emphatic a miss.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 62 min Curacao attack for the first time in a while and win a free-kick down the left. Antonisse swings out, Leandro Bacuna is up \u2026 but the ball\u2019s behind him and he can only contort to send it over.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 61 min I\u2019ve not seen loads of Brown, but I\u2019ve heard plenty about him. As a good german player, he\u2019s about to do what almost all of them do: leave the club that made him, Eintracht, to join Bayern. I\u2019m not sure where that leaves Alphonso Davies, but it\u2019d be a decent choice to have.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 60 min Havertz slides into Brown, running off Floranus and into the box, but there\u2019s a little too much on the ball and I think he\u2019s offside anyroad up.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 58 min I wonder if we might see the best of Wirtz in this environment. We know he\u2019s got brilliant imagination and touch around the box \u2013 the problem he has is the speed of the game in England, and his relative physical and defensive weaknesses. I fear he may be a player around whom a team needs to be built, which is not something the best ones tend to do.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 56 min \u201cWith public broadcaster ARD here in Germany<\/a> having simply shocking commentators,\u201d says Francis Lee, \u201cI elected to watch their kids\u2019 channel stream with a 12-year-old on co-comms. Far more bearable \u2013 oh, plus he said \u201cScheisse!\u201d when Curacao grabbed that unlikely equaliser.\u201d<\/p>\n This sounds incredible. Is it on YouTube?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 54 min Germany are pushing for five, Nmecha having a shot blocked and Havertz firing wide when the ball break back to him. It\u2019s a bit like when England beat San Marino 7-1 in 1993 \u2013 all anyone remembers is Davide Gaultieri\u2019s goal.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 52 min \u201cMaking the most of the country\u2019s spotlight,\u201d says Daniel Voskoboynik, \u201cI would encourage people towards the liberatory literature of Elis Juliana, the music of Oswin Chin Behilia and Izaline Calister, the genre-universe of tamb\u00fa. Smallness is not the opposite of greatness.\u201d<\/p>\n Absolutely not \u2013 I\u2019ll look forward to looking that stuff up when we\u2019re done here but, in the meantime, feel free to send in any playlist you have.<\/p>\n