Germany Player Ratings vs Curaçao: Nathaniel Brown Announces Himself, Kai Havertz Opens Golden Boot Account in 7-1 Opener

Germany began their 2026 World Cup campaign at NRG Stadium in Houston with a seven-goal Group E opener against tournament debutants Curaçao. Kai Havertz finished with a brace, Felix Nmecha opened the scoring inside six minutes, and substitute Deniz Undav came off the bench to produce the most decisive twenty-five minutes of any player in white. Curaçao briefly threatened to make it an afternoon when Livano Comenencia's deflected effort beat Manuel Neuer in the 21st minute, but Julian Nagelsmann's side responded with five further goals to wrap up the points well before the closing stages.

Below, our Germany player ratings from the 7-1 win.

Starting XI

Manuel Neuer (GK) 5/10. A 125th cap on his return from a calf injury and a relatively quiet night between the posts, which is what Germany wanted to see from him. The Comenencia strike that beat him came via a deflection and was difficult to fault. Distribution from the back was tidy. Little else to test him.

Joshua Kimmich (RB, captain) 7/10. Captained the side and ran the right flank with his usual range of passing. Slipped the through-ball for Musiala's goal at the start of the second half. Teed up Undav for the seventh. Whenever Germany needed tempo, the ball found its way to him. Among the most influential players on the pitch.

Jonathan Tah (CB) 6/10. A first-choice centre-back evening of low-volume work. Caught slightly out of position on the Curaçao move that led to Comenencia's goal, though the deflection took the shot past him. Commanded in the air and got through his afternoon without alarm. Solid.

Nico Schlotterbeck (CB) 6/10. Got on the scoresheet with a header from Brown's in-swinging corner in the 38th minute, attacking the ball cleanly to nod past Eloy Room. Had a tipped-over header from another set piece in the same passage of play. The defensive workload was modest. The goal lifts the rating.

Nathaniel Brown (LB) 8/10, Man of the Match. The breakthrough performance of the night. The corner that produced Schlotterbeck's goal was perfectly weighted, and his first international goal arrived with a clean volley after Undav's flick. Tidy defensively when Curaçao threatened down his side. The kind of night that makes a position his to lose.

Aleksandar Pavlović (CM) 6/10. Sat in alongside Nmecha and gave Germany the structural base they needed. Won his midfield duels, recycled possession quickly, kept the engine room ticking. No spectacle from his game, which was the point.

Felix Nmecha (CM) 7/10. The opener after six minutes, finished after a fluid exchange of passes with Wirtz, was the highlight, but the wider performance backed it up. Drew the penalty by being tripped by Riechedly Bazoer in first-half stoppage time. Fired narrowly wide from twenty yards earlier in the half. A goal contribution and a penalty earned in the opening 45 minutes.

Leroy Sané (RW) 4/10. The disappointment of the night. Given a clean sight of goal and shot wide. Faded as a threat the longer the match went on, in a game built to suit his profile. With Wirtz and Musiala in form, Sané has to start producing end product or his place will come under question.

Jamal Musiala (CAM) 7/10. Marked the second half with a goal inside two minutes of the restart, racing onto Kimmich's through-ball and slotting past Room. Carried possession constantly between the lines, always asking questions. The final ball was not always there, but the influence was.

Florian Wirtz (LW) 7/10. The pass that started the move for Nmecha's opener was the first of many incisions. Put a curling effort narrowly off target himself. Floated across the front line picking out half-spaces all evening. Not the goal he would have wanted, but the creative output justified the early hype.

Kai Havertz (ST) 7/10. A brace and the Golden Boot conversation is open. Stepped up calmly for the penalty in first-half stoppage time and finished low past Room. Returned in the 88th minute to dink over the goalkeeper from Undav's pass. Held the line, brought others in, did the centre-forward's job.

Substitutes

Deniz Undav (on around the 65th minute) 8/10. The biggest substitute impact of the night. Flicked the ball into Brown's path for the fifth. Slotted his own goal from Kimmich's assist for the sixth. Then teed up Havertz for the seventh. Three goal contributions off the bench in under thirty minutes.

Antonio Rüdiger 5/10. Late cameo at centre-back to see out the match. Did so without incident.

Leon Goretzka 5/10. Routine introduction in midfield as the contest wound down.

David Raum 5/10. On at left-back in the closing stages. Limited time to make an impact.

Waldemar Anton N/R. A token cameo, too short to rate.