Before the start of the World Cup, a video of the Curacao team went viral. In it, the players are arriving in an old-fashioned blue school bus with no windows, the players sticking their arms out and banging on the metal exterior. The video was intended to portray the down-to-earth vibe of the team heading into its first ever World Cup.
On Sunday, Curacao was dreaming of his mission, in Houston, America’s space capital. For a while, fans and players dared to dream of upsetting Germany. Never mind that they were playing their first match in the country’s history at the FIFA World Cup or that their opponents have won the World Cup four times. Never mind that it is a small island in the Caribbean with a population of over 1,58,000 and an area of 171 square miles. Never mind that their opponents are the most populous country in the European Union and 19th globally with a population of 83.6 million.
As Curacao’s coach, Dick Advocate, succinctly put it, “We’re just a small town compared to Germany and other opponents.”
For a few minutes on Sunday, Curacao dared to dream of beating Germany. Or at least keep them in the drawer. In the 21st minute of Germany vs Curacao, Livano Comenencia curled the ball past the recently retired Manuel Neuer to level the score at 1-1.
Despite the side being clear underdogs, veteran manager Dick Advocate had set up Curaçao to perform offensively.
As Advocat later explained his philosophy: “We tried to play more aggressively as defending only would surely lead to defeat, but it didn’t work on all fronts.” Vakil, who at 78 is the oldest ever World Cup manager, was seen wiping tears from his eyes before kick-off.
His very first goal in the World Cup sent the players and fans into a frenzy. They would have thought they could take home at least one point, if not more.
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Then the floodgates opened Germany recorded another scoreline of 7-1 in FIFA World Cup matches. Kai Havertz scored twice along with Felix Namecha, Jamal Musiala, Nico Schlotterbeck, Deniz Undau and Nathaniel Brown.
“We really needed this convincing win,” Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann said in his post-match press conference. “We needed that confidence. It was there but it definitely grew.”
“We want to show the fans that we can perform and we have to be confident. I think we’re in a better place than we were going into this game.”
Japan occupied the Netherlands
Japan earned a reputation as giant killers in this World Cup. In the previous World Cup held in Qatar four years ago, Japan defeated Germany and Spain in the group stage. Japan defeated Colombia in the 2018 edition. The Asian team had won the opening matches in three of the previous four editions.
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Netherlands goalkeeper Bart Verbrugge (1) is beaten by a header from Japan’s Daiichi Kamada (15) during the World Cup Group F soccer match between the Netherlands and Japan in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas (Sunday, June 14, 2026) in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas. (AP Photo)
But he had to withdraw twice on Sunday Trailing by one goal against the Netherlands. The final result was disappointing for the Dutch team and their coach Ronald Koeman.
“I’m disappointed we didn’t win, but because we were ahead twice,” Koeman said. “A lot of people underestimated Japan, but for the 100,000th time, if you underestimate them, that’s your problem. You think Japan’s strength was exaggerated before the match? Let’s wait until the end of the tournament to see who is right.”
The first 50 minutes of the match between Japan and the Netherlands was pointless with no goals scored.
Then three goals in 14 minutes ignited the game. First, Virgil van Dijk headed the ball first for the Dutch goal to give them a 1-0 lead. But they were unable to enjoy their lead as Keto Nakamura equalized for Japan seven minutes later. Crisencio Summerville then scored to give the Dutch a 2-1 lead. With two minutes to go before the full-time whistle, Japan looked headed for defeat when Daichi Kamada scored Japan’s equaliser.
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“Our players were able to be patient but at the same time be patient and just stay calm and look for opportunities,” Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu said.
Japan’s fans are back once again
After Japan held the Dutch team to a draw last time out, their fans were again doing what they are famous for: clearing the stadium seats.
🚨Trending: Japan fans stay behind to clean the stadium after their World Cup match pic.twitter.com/XXqldD9Bgk
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Japan fans used blue garbage bags to celebrate Kamada’s goal two minutes before full time. And later used the same bags to collect waste in the stadium.
Japan fans clean up trash from the stadium after the World Cup Group F soccer match between the Netherlands and Japan in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo)
At the team’s first World Cup in France in 1998, scenes of Japanese fans picking up and sweeping up litter caught the public’s attention. Japan’s fans ritually sanitize themselves at every big-ticket event.