Debutants Curacao stun Germany with historic first-ever goal

HOUSTON: After falling behind early in their FIFA World Cup debut, Curaçao shocked Germany with a memorable first-half equalizer in Houston.

Livano Comenencia etched his name into the history books in the 21st minute, scoring Curaçao’s first-ever World Cup goal and bringing the smallest nation in tournament history level against the four-time world champions.

Curaçao entered the match as massive underdogs, representing a nation of around 160,000 people and becoming the smallest country ever to compete at a FIFA World Cup.

Germany looked set for a routine afternoon when Felix Nmecha opened the scoring after just six minutes. But Curaçao refused to be intimidated, producing a moment that will forever be remembered in the nation’s sporting history.