Kimmich says Germany’s World Cup chances cannot be judged yet

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Joshua Kimmich believes Germany’s hopes of winning the World Cup cannot be accurately judged until the end of the group stage, following their 7-1 win over Curacao.

In their opening Group E match on Sunday, Germany scored seven or more goals in a World Cup game for the fourth time ever, surpassing Hungary for the most instances in tournament history.

However, things were not entirely straightforward for Julian Nagelsmann’s side, as, after Felix Nmecha opened the scoring with a pinpoint finish in the sixth minute, Curacao stunned them by equalising.

Livano Comenencia’s deflected effort beat Manuel Neuer for Curacao’s first-ever World Cup goal in the 21st minute, the earliest any team has scored on their debut at the tournament since Nigeria versus Bulgaria in 1994 (also the 21st minute).

A Nico Schlotterbeck header and a Kai Havertz penalty got Germany back on track before half-time, with further goals from Jamal Musiala, Nathaniel Brown, Deniz Undav and another from Havertz completing the rout in the second period.

Germany are now the all-time top scorers at the World Cup, with their seven-goal showing taking them past Brazil (238) in the goal charts (239).

But with Curacao being the smallest-ever nation to qualify, some critics have suggested there were worrying signs for Germany in the way they were pegged back.

And with more testing matches against Ivory Coast and Ecuador to come, Kimmich agrees that it is too early to evaluate their chances of winning a record-equalling fifth crown. 

“It was an expected win for us, but the way it happened was very dominant,” Kimmich told reporters. “We have seen that to win by such a score ⁠is not expected.

“Both the other teams are physically very strong and they can deal well ‌with ⁠the conditions.

“We played the first game against an opponent who is certainly not world-class. Now come some challenges where we can see where we stand. 

“We have great qualities to hurt opponents. We need to work on stability and reduce the goals we concede, even against a small opponent.

“Let’s play the next two matches and then all the experts can better evaluate where we stand.

“We have now won 10 games in a row. I have the feeling that we are on a good path.”

Germany face Ivory Coast, who also have three points on the board, in Toronto on Saturday, before heading to New Jersey to take on Ecuador five days later.

UEFA Women’s Champions League News

‘Bring it on’ – Bright sets sights on glory after Chelsea’s Champions League comeback

Premier League News

‘Best is yet to come’ for Fulham, says Silva

UEFA Conference League News

‘Chelsea fans have to trust us’ – Maresca issues rallying cry to Blues’ faithful

UEFA Conference League News

‘Chelsea are back’ if they win Europa Conference League, Maresca insists

UEFA Nations League News

‘Every Portugal player’ wants to see Ronaldo win World Cup – Dalot

Premier League News

‘Every point is expensive’ in the Premier League, says Iraola

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By using our website you agree to our use of cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.