MONTERREY, Mexico, June 15– Germany and Sweden romped to emphatic wins as 19 goals were scored on a thrilling day of the FIFA World Cup on Sunday.
In Monterrey, Yasin Ayari’s double helped Sweden cruise to a 5-1 win over Tunisia. Ayari and Alexander Isak struck early before Omar Rekik reduced the deficit for the African team on the stroke of halftime. Viktor Gyokeres, Mattias Svanberg and Ayari added second-half goals as Sweden sealed a resounding victory. “It’s football, so you know anything can happen, especially at 2-1, but I thought the boys played with stability and calmness,” Sweden manager Graham Potter said. “We always thought that, if we could stay compact and defend well, we’ve got two guys up front that can hurt them.” Earlier, Germany overcame a plucky first-half display from Curacao to romp to a 7-1 victory in Houston.
Felix Nmecha curled in an early goal for Germany but Curacao stunned the four-time champion when Livano Comenencia pounced on a loose ball and rifled home a shot from 16 yards. It was one-way traffic thereafter as Kai Havertz netted a brace and Nico Schlotterbeck, Jamal Musiala, Nathaniel Brown and Deniz Undav also scored for the European side. “The opponent played better than many had expected in Germany,” Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann said. “They played with a lot of courage.” Curacao manager Dick Advocaat wept before the game as his team from an island with a population of around 150,000 people made its World Cup debut. “It was fantastic to see the joy of the people,” said the 78-year-old, who became the oldest manager in a World Cup fixture. “The result was not a disgrace. I think we can still be proud.”
Elsewhere, Daichi Kamada scored late as Japan earned a 2-2 draw with the Netherlands at Dallas Stadium. Virgil van Dijk combined with Liverpool teammate Ryan Gravenberch to head in the opener before Keito Nakamura equalized with a long-range effort against the run of play. Crysencio Summerville restored the Netherlands’ advantage with a curling effort into the far corner. But Japan again drew level in the 88th minute when Kamada latched onto Koki Ogawa’s headed flick to nod the ball past Bart Verbruggen. “The Netherlands was very strong and we were struggling to match them early,” Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu told a press conference. “But we came together and showed great tenacity and perseverance.” Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman admitted his team performed below expectations. “Of course we can perform better and we need to grow during the tournament,” he said. “This definitely was not our best performance. Of course, we would have preferred to win the first game. We expected to.”
In Philadelphia, substitute Amad Diallo scored in the 90th minute to hand Cote d’Ivoire a 1-0 win over Ecuador. Manchester United attacker Diallo, a 56th-minute replacement for Bazoumana Toure, broke the deadlock with a first-time shot past Hernan Galindez following Wilfried Singo’s cross. “We know Ecuador is a big team. We had to be patient and wait for our opportunity and we got the goal,” Cote d’Ivoire winger Yan Diomande said. “We haven’t come here just to be part of it all. We want to make history.” For Ecuador, the result ended a 19-game unbeaten run dating back to September 2024. “The game slipped away from us,” midfielder Moises Caicedo said. “We played well, and they [Cote d’Ivoire] gave it their all too. It’s tough to start off on the back foot, but this is just the beginning and we have a chance now to bounce back.”
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