A double-header: Germany scored seven goals in Curacao, conceding the goal that temporarily equalized the score, making history for the small Caribbean island nation; and Sweden, with a merciless 5-0 victory over Tunisia. A double-header between the Netherlands and Japan with the Oranje, and a 90th-minute defeat by former Atalanta player Diallo, who hit the posts and crossbars, put Ecuador on the back foot.
After a scoreless first half, with only Malen threatening the Japanese goal, the Netherlands took the lead twice, but Japan, playing with a 5-4-1 formation, responded through Nakamura and Kamada, who headed home in the 89th minute. Koeman's final tactics, with Koopmeiners playing high on the left in the second half, were unconvincing. The Dutch took off their jerseys to autograph them and auction them off to benefit a pediatric oncology center. Hurray.
Sweden burst onto the World Cup scene with two top-tier attackers. Liverpool's Alexander Isak and Arsenal's Viktor Gyökeres each scored a goal, while Yasin Ayari, whose father is Tunisian, scored a brace for his home country.
Midway through the first half of Germany-Curaçao, when Caribbean international Comenencia (formerly of Juve Next Gen) scored a historic goal against the forty-year-old German goalkeeper Neuer to make it 1-1, some thought another upset might ensue. That wasn't the case, as the Germans eventually found the net through goals from Nmecha, Schlotterbeck, Musiala, Brown, Undav, and twice from Havertz. The cameras focused on a sign that summed up the significance of Curaçao's presence at this World Cup: "Small country, big dreams." With 185,000 inhabitants, the Caribbean island could be a suburb of Houston, which has 3 million. A goal is a big deal. Everyone understood this, and it was beautiful to see the players from both teams hugging in a circle at the end.
Ecuador and Ivory Coast could have ended in a spectacular 0-0 draw. Instead, Amad Diallo settled the scoreline for the Ivorians, after a long dominance by the South Americans, who were unbeaten in 19 matches and had hit the woodwork three times. The most impressive performance came from Yan Diomande, the Leipzig player who proved himself to be a true talent and an asset for Ivory Coast.
In the photo: Kai Havertz, player of the match Germany-Curacao 7-1 (credits: X @FIFAWorldCup)
