Curaçao’s Livano Comenencia provided a highlight and hope for the smallest country in World Cup history.
Germany then responded to Curaçao’s first World Cup goal with an onslaught of scoring, turning an expected rout into an actual one with a 7-1 win on Sunday in Houston.
Curaçao got a memory that won’t be soon forgotten in the island nation of about 156,000 people.
Germany rallied after Curaçao’s tying goal, earning the start it wanted after it failed to get out of the group stage in the previous two World Cups.
The six-goal margin was well short of the World Cup record of nine, which has happened three times, most recently when Hungary beat El Salvador 10-1 in 1982. And the performance from the Germans was much more expected than the last time they won 7-1 in a World Cup, beating host Brazil in the 2014 semifinals.
Havertz connected on a penalty shot into the left goal in first-half stoppage time to make it 3-1. Germany was awarded the penalty shot after Felix Nmecha was tripped in the box by Riechedly Bazoer.
Later Sunday, Ivory Coast pulled off arguably the biggest upset so far in the World Cup, beating Ecuador on Amad Diallo’s goal in the 90th minute in Philadelphia.
The Ivorians had not played in the World Cup since 2014 and made the most of it by ending Ecuador’s 19-game unbeaten streak.
Japan had an unforgettable moment of its own to open the World Cup.
Trailing the Netherlands 2-1, Daichi Kamada’s deflection of teammate Koki Ogawa’s header in the 88th minute earned the Japanese a 2-2 draw in Arlington, Texas, that sent the Samurai Blue fans into a frenzy and left the orange-clad Dutch fans in disbelief.
Sweden closed out Sunday’s games by pounding Tunisia 5-1 in Monterrey, Mexico. The Swedes got two goals from Yasin Ayari, whose father was born in Tunisia.
Iran’s difficult road to the World Cup
Iran changed its training site from Arizona to Mexico due to the war with the U.S., had to deal with visa delays for several members of its entourage and will only be permitted to travel to the U.S. on game days.
Through all the turmoil, the Iranians will finally take the field for its World Cup opener against New Zealand at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
Iran is in its fourth straight World Cup, but has yet to get past the group stage. Breaking through in the homeland of the country it’s been warring with — not to mention overcoming myriad obstacles — would be a huge accomplishment.
New Zealand arrives in Southern California as the lowest-ranked team in the World Cup and also is seeking to reach the knockout stage for the first time after failing in two previous attempts.
The Kiwis will be led by all-time leading scorer Chris Wood, who has been slowed by a knee injury with Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. (AP)
