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Nagelsmann wants to keep German train on the move after big World Cup win
Germany were pegged back at 1-1 in the first half, but went in 3-1 up at the break and a rampant second period saw them coast to victory and sound a warning to their rivals
- PUBLISHED: Mon 15 Jun 2026, 2:41 PM
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann will not let his players rest on their laurels following their thumping 7-1 World Cup Group E victory over Curacao on Sunday as he knows tougher assignments lie ahead if they are to go deep into the tournament.
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Germany were pegged back at 1-1 in the first half, but went in 3-1 up at the break and a rampant second period saw them coast to victory and sound a warning to their rivals at the global finals.
"It was a great start to the game, the first 15 minutes were fantastic," Nagelsmann said. "We had many attempts. The equalising goal from Curacao was unexpected, but it was fascinating to see how the team reacted to it.
"Curacao played better than many people in Germany expected, and they played differently than they had before and with courage. It is not easy to score seven goals, so we are quite satisfied.
"We are on the right path but there are things we can do better and we will have tougher opponents in the tournament."
Nagelsmann said his side had to be patient in the first half, but the intensity they showed in the second is what they will need if they are to add to their four World Cup titles.
"One team (Germany) has very high expectations and one (Curacao) doesn’t and that is tricky. At 1-1 we had to be patient, and the team really wants to give 100%. We played with the right intensity. If we do that we can have a good tournament," he said.
"We really needed this convincing win, and the confidence it will give us. That confidence was always there, but it has grown. It was important to show the people in Germany that we can perform.
"After the game, there was a song (from the German fans) called ‘the train has no brakes’. We will try to do that, to keep going and going in this tournament."
Germany face the Ivory Coast in Toronto on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Curacao's World Cup debut may have ended in a reality check, but it "is nothing to be ashamed of", said their head coach Dick Advocaat.
"It is not embarrassing to lose like that against such a team," said Advocaat at the post match press conference in Houston.
"This team (Germany) is worth 850 million and Curacao, 25."
Curacao, the smallest nation by population ever to qualify for the tournament, had hoped to pull off a giant-killing exploit "but it was not to be" said Advocaat.
"They were simply too strong and we gave away too many easy goals," lamented Advocaat, who was also present at the previous World Cup hosted in the US, 32 years ago, when he was in charge of the Dutch.
Advocaat, who returned to take charge of Curacao after stepping aside in February when his daughter fell ill, said his and his staff's task was to restore morale ahead of next Saturday's Group E game against Ecuador.
"Obviously 7-1 is a heavy defeat," he said.
"We must make sure no one's head drops, that they do not remain in a bad state of mind.
"But I am not too worried about that happening."
Advocaat, who wiped away tears before the kick-off, said the heavy defeat was made up for by the "fantastic scenes of happiness in the stands" from the fans fondly known as the 'Blue Wave'.
"It is already formidable what we achieved in qualifying for the finals," he said.
"And we should be conscious of that.
"All we need to do is simply show the best of ourselves here."
Advocaat added even if Curacao does not cause an upset in the remaining group games -- Ivory Coast await in the final match -- "we will still be happy to have competed at the biggest event in the world."