Germany vs Curaçao: Live Updates

Live updates: Germany vs Curaçao

By Simon Smale

21' CURACAO LEVELS! CURACAO LEVELS!

By Simon Smale

Curaçao are back on level terms!

Livano Comenencia with a piledriver of a shot past Manuel Neuer!

MY GOODNESS!

20' Chance for Curaçao

By Simon Smale

That's lovely from Curaçao!

Leandro Bacuna's shot wasn't the best, slicing away and high over the bar.

But the build up was great, Livano Comenencia breaking down the left side and looking up before crossing towards the distinctive barnet of Tahith Chong.

I bet our seats are better anyway...

By Simon Smale

Morning Simon! Lovely wake up strike! Poor goalie unsighted as it curled around a pair of defenders. Here we are up early doing the "full Gianni", watching every game - without the need for an expensive jet paid for by overpriced tickets?

- Big Ben

Welcome Big Ben - we can compare notes on how we are staying awake later in the tournament.

But goals like that are enough to widen the eyes first thing in the morning, that's for sure.

16' Chance Germany

By Simon Smale

The Bacuna brothers, Juninho and Leandro, combine to get Curaçao out of the danger area.

That came after Nmecha had another chance to score, this time squaring the ball into the penalty area where the Blue defence holds firm.

14' Chance Germany!

By Simon Smale

Florian Wirtz this time, from the left side, cuts inside onto his right foot and powers a shot just past the far post from the left corner of the penalty area.

We're quarter of an hour in and Germany could be four or five goals up already.

Curaçao simply hasn't had a sniff - Germany hasn't given them one - they're holding the minnows at arms length and pinching their nose, so dominant are the four-time champions.

To be honest, it's almost bullying.

12' Chance Germany!

By Simon Smale

Nmecha again!

A frankly exquisite clipped ball forward from Aleksandar Pavlović, taken down like a dream by Nmecha.

He slips as he is swamped by a flurry of blue shirted defenders but still gets a shot away that is well saved.

11' Chance Germany!

By Simon Smale

Leroy Sané now, he pops up on the edge of the penalty area and fires towards goal.

That took a big deflection behind but it's been given as a goal kick.

Germany don't seem too bothered though.

9' CHANCE GERMANY!

By Simon Smale

Nmecha again!

This time he pops up on the right side of the penalty area and smashes a shot towards goal that fizzes just wide of the post.

My goodness he has absolutely belted that.

7' Germany almost has another

By Simon Smale

Jamal Musiala has a chance on the edge of the penalty area, blocked on the edge of the box but another chance for Germany, who will not back off for a second here.

6' GERMANY OPENS THE SCORING!

By Simon Smale

Nathaniel Brown played a lovely ball forward to Felix Nmecha, whose fearsome shot is blocked.

But Germany recycles and Nmecha has another chance, linking up so nicely with Florian Wirtz on the edge of the penalty area before curling a delightful shot into the far corner.

Lovely strike, passive defending from Curaçao.

3' Chance Germany

By Simon Smale

Germany has a chance in the penalty area, moving the ball around nicely with Nathaniel Brown but can't get a shot away.

Curaçao looks to break on the counter but Aleksandar Pavlović gives away a free kick with a solid shove.

1' We're underway

By Simon Smale

Curaçao gets us underway, blue shirts, yellow shorts and blue socks, under pressure immediately from Germany in their frankly gorgeous kit, mostly white with the gold, red and black trim at the top.

With so many of the Curaçao team growing up and still playing in the Dutch system, there will be feeling in this one - Germany and the Netherlands are traditionally heated rivals.

The Aussie connection

By Simon Smale

That's nice, Australian referee Shaun Evans is in the VAR booth today.

That makes him the first Aussie that I've personally seen working at this tournament from an officiating point of view.

Here come the teams!

By Simon Smale

Curaçao and Germany walk out onto the field.

Both teams are in white tracksuit tops, Germany's appearing to have the same texture as a mackintosh. Which is a vibe, I guess.

The Germany fans in attendance roar the Deutschlandlied under the Houston roof.

And now it's time for theHimno di Kòrsou, which appears to be being played by a saxophone (or at least a recording of one) which absolutely has to be a first for me.

The final line of the first verse of the anthem is wonderful and really highlights just how small the nation is:

Let's raise our voice and sing, the grandeur of Curaçao; Curaçao, small island, a boulder in the sea!

They might only be a boulder in the sea, but you bet they're going to do their darndest to put a hole in Germany's boat.

Just how big is Curaçao? and other fun facts

By Simon Smale

Let's dive into how big Curaçao even is, shall we?

Curaçao has a population of approximately 158,000.

That makes it approximately the same size as Greater Darwin in terms of population.

All but one of their players were actually born in the Netherlands, the sole player born in Curaçao being Sheffield United's Tahith Chong.

Incredibly, that means Curaçao, which is an island in the Caribbean, has as many players in its squad (25 of the 26) as Germany does.

Germany centre back Waldemar Anton was born in Olmaliq, Uzbekistan, which is in Asia.

Why is this the case? Curaçao is not technically an independent country, but a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The Blue Wave has crashed into Houston

By Simon Smale

Advocaat will become the oldest coach in World Cup history

By Simon Smale

Dick Advocaat started his coaching career while he was still a player, taking charge of Door Samenwerking Verkregen Pijnacker in 1981.

Now, aged 78, he will become the oldest coach in World Cup history.

Curaçao is the eighth country Advocaat has coached after the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Belgium, Russia, Serbia and Iraq.

He was coach of the Netherlands the last time the World Cup was held in the USA in 1994.

Advocaat is technically in his second spell as Curaçao coach.

He briefly resigned at the start of the year, having already led the tiny Caribbean nation to its first ever World Cup.

He left because his daughter was seriously ill and he wanted, quite rightly, to spend more time with her.

However, his successor Fred Rutten was not well received by the players and, reportedly, the nation's chief sponsor, Corendon Dutch Airlines, were not impressed either.

With his daughter's illness improving, Advocaat was convinced to return.

Amazingly, Advocaat is the third person to become the oldest World Cup coach in the space of days at this tournament.

First, South Africa boss Hugo Broos set the new record in the tournament's opening game aged 74.

He broke the record of Euro-winning Greece manager Otto Rehhagel, who was 71 when he coached in 2010.

Hours later, Miroslav Koubek, the Czechia coach who is also 74 but days older than Broos, took over as the record holder.

But now Advocaat stands alone.

As an aside, his opposite coach today, Julian Nagelsmann, aged 38, is the youngest coach at this tournament.

Curaçao have 'nothing to lose'

By Simon Smale

- Reuters

Tiny Curaçao have nothing to lose as they make their World Cup debut against Germany in Houston on Sunday, says coach Dick Advocaat, who has a plan to be disrupters at the finals.

Curaçao, who rely heavily on their diaspora in the Netherlands for players, are the smallest nation by both population and size to qualify for a World Cup but have big dreams and will not bow to any opponent.

“We are a small country compared to Germany, but we will make life difficult for them and be a tough team to play,” Advocaat told reporters on Saturday.

“It sometimes happens that small teams, amateur teams, beat much bigger sides. In the Netherlands, this happens regularly.

“Germany will be the dominant team and we have to respond to that. We are going to use the space that Germany will create [when they attack] and benefit from it.”

“We have nothing to lose. The expectation is not that high outside of us as a squad, because we think we can surprise people. Just being here is great for the players and the country, but we also have to show people what we are made of.”

Advocaat hailed the atmosphere within the squad as one of the best in his long coaching career, which includes World Cup appearances with South Korea and the Netherlands.

“The team spirit here is something I have never experienced before,” he said. “We have everything to gain for the island and it is amazing to be a part of this. When you see what the team has achieved, it makes you proud as a coach.”

Advocaat confirmed he has a clean bill of health in the squad ahead of the game.

"All are fit and can play and everybody looks fresh,” he said.