Havertz double leads Germany in WC opening rout of Curaçao

HOUSTON -- Kai Havertz scored two goals as Germany pulled away from World Cup first-timer Curaçao late in the opening half and piled on after that in a 7-1 win Sunday in Group E. Livano Comenencia tied it at 1-1 with his left-footed shot through traffic from the center of the box in the 21st minute to give Curaçao its first goal in the tournament and send fans of the tiny Caribbean nation into a frenzy. It was all Germany after that, with the four-time champions regaining the lead on Nico Schlotterbeck's header off Nathaniel Brown's corner kick in the 38th minute.

"We really needed this convincing win," coach Julian Nagelsmann said. "We needed this self confidence. It was there but it definitely grew." He said Sunday's display was important for the country's fans.

"We have to show them that we can perform and we have to have the confidence," he said. "I think we're in a better spot than we were entering this match." The margin of victory comes well short of the World Cup record of nine goals, which has happened three times, with the last one coming when Hungary beat El Salvador 10-1 in 1982. Havertz connected on a penalty shot 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. Germany wasted no time after halftime to extend the lead with Jamal Musiala scoring on a right-footed shot across the goalkeeper's area in the 47th minute. Brown scored in the 68th minute to push the advantage to 5-1, and Deniz Undav added a goal in the 78th after assisting on Brown's goal minutes earlier.

Havertz's second goal came in the 88th minute. It was a strong start for Germany against underdog Curaçao as the team seeks redemption after failing to get out of the group stage in Russia and Qatar following its 2014 title. "We are on the right path but of course there are things that we can do better and we will have stronger opponents," Nagelsmann said.

Nmecha one-timed it with his right foot into the near post just inside the upper box with an assist from Florian Wirtz in the sixth minute to make it 1-0. The crowd of 68,021 was overwhelming rooting for Germany, but there was a spirited contingent of people cheering on Curaçao as it became the smallest country to ever appear in the tournament. "Even though it wasn't me, it felt like it was me, it was all of us, the whole island, everybody," Curaçao's Jearl Margaritha said.

"We screamed our lungs out. So we were happy." Manuel Neuer, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who came out of international retirement for the tournament, had one save in his first appearance for Germany in almost two years. The match featured the largest age gap between coaches in World Cup history, with Curaçao's 78-year-old coach Dick Advocaat becoming the oldest ever in a World Cup, against 38-year-old Julian Nagelsmann, who is the youngest coach in this year's tournament.

Germany faces Ivory Coast in its next match in Toronto on Saturday, while Curaçao meets Ecuador on Saturday in Kansas City. Information from The Associated Press was used in this recap.