Curacao’s World Cup debut ended in a resounding 7-1 defeat to four-time champions Germany, but head coach Dick Advocaat insists his side have “nothing to be ashamed of.”
The 78-year-old, the oldest coach ever at a World Cup finals, saw his team briefly draw level at 1-1 through a deflected Livano Comenencia strike. However, Germany quickly asserted their dominance with goals from Nico Schlotterbeck, a Kai Havertz double, Jamal Musiala, Nathaniel Brown, and Deniz Undav, quashing any hopes of a historic upset.
“It is not embarrassing to lose like that against such a team,” Advocaat stated at the post-match press conference in Houston. He highlighted the vast financial disparity: “This team (Germany) is worth 850 million and Curacao, 25.”
Curacao, the smallest nation by population to ever qualify for the tournament, had harboured hopes of a giant-killing act, but Advocaat conceded, “They were simply too strong and we gave away too many easy goals.”
Despite the heavy loss, Advocaat, who returned to manage Curacao after a brief hiatus due to his daughter’s illness, is focused on restoring morale before their next Group E fixture against Ecuador. “Obviously 7-1 is a heavy defeat,” he acknowledged. “We must make sure no one’s head drops… But I am not too worried about that happening.”
The emotional Advocaat, who was seen wiping away tears before kick-off, found solace in the “fantastic scenes of happiness in the stands” from the ‘Blue Wave’ supporters. “It is already formidable what we achieved in qualifying for the finals,” he emphasised. “And we should be conscious of that. All we need to do is simply show the best of ourselves here.”
Advocaat concluded that even without further upsets in their remaining group games against Ecuador and Ivory Coast, “we will still be happy to have competed at the biggest event in the world.”
