Goals, goals and more goals.
Sunday produced a flood of steady offence at the World Cup. Twenty-one goals were produced through five matches, with 19 different players finding the back of the net.
Eight of those 20 goals came in Germany’s 7-1 win over Curaçao — the same scoreline of its famous win against Brazil in the 2014 semifinals. Sweden left its mark with five goals against Tunisia, highlighted by Mattias Svanberg's goal coming just 13 seconds after his introduction as a substitute.
Australia shone in its debut in Vancouver in the first of seven matches slated to take place in the West Coast city. The Netherlands and Japan put on an attacking clinic in the second half of their tightly contested affair, and the Ivory Coast left it late to pull out a win over Ecuador.
Here are the biggest takeaways so far from Day 4.
THE RESULTS SO FAR
Group D: Australia 2, Turkey 0 | Match report | Match stats
Group E: Germany 7, Curaçao 1 | Match report | Match stats
Group F: Netherlands 2, Japan 2 | Match report | Match stats
Group E: Ivory Coast 1, Ecuador 0 | Match report | Match stats
Group F: Sweden 5, Tunisia 1 | Match report | Match stats
THE BIG TAKEAWAYS
Australia takes over Vancouver – literally and figuratively
Vancouver dipped its toes in World Cup waters when it hosted its first match, and it was quite the spectacle both on and off the pitch. Australia was fully deserving of its 2-0 win over Turkey, secured thanks to goals from Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe, and an eight-save effort from 22–year-old goalkeeper Patrick Beach, who was only playing in his third match for his country.
In doing so, the Aussies sent a message to the United States that it’ll have a fight on its hands for top spot in Group D. There was an electric atmosphere inside BC Place as the yellow-clad Socceroos supporters were in excellent voice, cheering on their heroes to just their fifth World Cup victory. But that was only half of the story.
The Australian supporters invaded downtown Vancouver in the hours leading up to opening kickoff, duplicating scenes the city hadn’t seen since it hosted the 2010 Olympics. Green and gold smoke bombs filled the air, and Aussie supporters enthusiastically drank barrels of beer as they chanted and sang songs, including their national anthem. This was Australia’s only group stage match in Vancouver, but it may never be the same after their departure, such was the indelible mark the Socceroos supporters left on the city.
Curaçao enjoys its moment, but ruthless Germany shows no mercy
It was fun while it lasted. For 17 glorious minutes, Curaçao was on level terms with Germany after Livano Comenencia’s goal cancelled out Felix Nmecha’s opener. The soccer world stood still for every second of those 17 minutes, as the tiny Caribbean nation making its World Cup debut made us believe that one of the biggest upsets in tournament history was within reach.
At No. 82, Curaçao isn’t the lowest team in the current FIFA rankings, but it’s not far off, sitting slightly higher than Haiti (No. 84) and New Zealand (No. 85). Ninth-ranked Germany was startled, but any chance of a David-slaying-Goliath narrative was put to rest in emphatic fashion as the floodgates opened for the European giants.
Nico Schlotterbeck’s goal restored Germany’s lead, and Kai Havertz converted from the penalty spot just before the halftime whistle. If the Blue Wave was banking on the break slowing down the Germans’ momentum, they were sorely mistaken. A fourth German goal came soon after the restart. Then another one. And another one. And one final one in the 88th minute. Seven in total. Curaçao had its World Cup moment, but Germany was positively ruthless in punishing them for having the audacity to even think it could gain a result.
Never say die attitude serves Japan well
Japan can’t be counted down and out — ever. It’s a valuable lesson that the Netherlands learned to their peril in Texas, twice squandering a one-goal lead en route to settling for a 2-2 draw against the Samurai Blue.
A cagey first half that was low on entertainment value gave way to an explosive final 45 minutes that featured four goals and countless swings in momentum. First, it was the Netherlands who were in the ascendancy courtesy of Virgil van Dijk’s pinpoint header before Keito Nakamura equalized for the Japanese from close range just seven minutes later. Crysencio Summerville restored the Dutch lead with a fabulous finish in the 64th minute and looked a good bet to record the win as they continued to turn the screws on Japan.
But the Netherlands took their eye off the ball in the 88th minute off a corner kick. Koki Ogawa's header deflected off Daichi Kamada and nestled into the back of the net after sailing through goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen's hands, who really should have done much better. The Dutch are now unbeaten in 16 games in group play at the World Cup, but they’ll be kicking themselves after letting a win slip through their fingers.
MOMENT OF THE DAY
Germany got off to a rampant start by putting Curaçao under constant pressure before Felix Nmecha made it 1-0 in the sixth minute, and it looked like it was going to be a very long day for the tiny Caribbean island. But the Concacaf nation fought back and drew level just 15 minutes later. The ball fell to Livano Comenencia after teammate Jürgen Locadia’s attempt on goal was blocked, and he hit a left-footed shot from inside the box that deflected off Germany’s Joshua Kimmich and beat goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. It was Curaçao’s first-ever goal at the World Cup, and for the very briefest of moments, it seemed like a major upset was a possibility.
STAT OF THE DAY
The oldest and youngest coaches at the tournament faced off when World Cup debutants Curaçao tangled with four-time champions Germany in Houston:
FANS OF THE DAY
Dutch fans took over the streets of Arlington, Texas, ahead of the Netherlands’ match vs. Japan:
THREE STARS OF THE DAY
1. Kai Havertz (Germany): The German forward bagged a brace by converting from the penalty spot and scoring on a lovely chip shot. Also, completed 93 per cent of his passes.
2. Alexander Isak (Sweden): Had a goal and two assists in a man-of-the-match effort for the Swedes. Was at the heart of the Swedish attack.
3. Yasin Azari (Sweden): Opened the scoring for his country and capped things off by scoring his side’s fifth and final goal of the night. The third player of this tournament to register a brace.
Editor’s note
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 27 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer.
