At NRG Stadium in Houston, Germany dominated Curacao with a 7-1 victory in their World Cup group stage opener. Curacao scored their first-ever World Cup goal but could not withstand the German onslaught.

Germany temporarily surpassed Brazil as the all-time top scorers in World Cup history (239 goals to 238). Kai Havertz scored twice, while Deniz Undav contributed a goal and two assists.

Curacao coach Dick Advokat acknowledged the gap in quality but opted for an attacking formation, which backfired as Germany exploited defensive weaknesses.

In another match, Ivory Coast snatched a 1-0 win over Ecuador with a late goal by Amad Diallo in the 90th minute. Ecuador hit the woodwork twice but failed to find the net.

The Netherlands and Japan played out a 2-2 draw. The Dutch took the lead twice, but Japan equalized in the 89th minute through Daiti Kamada.

Source: www.gazeta.uz