AFP | Houston

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Germany made a statement of intent on Sunday as they launched their bid to win the World Cup for a fifth time with a 7-1 demolition of debutants Curacao in Texas.

The Group E game in Houston had been billed as a mismatch but nobody expected Curacao, the Caribbean island with a population of around 150,000, to be taken apart so brutally.

Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala opened the scoring on 12 minutes and completed a hat-trick before half-time, while Florian Wirtz, Kai Havertz, and Niclas Fullkrug were also on target.

The Curacao team, who qualified under the guidance of former Netherlands boss Dick Advocaat, did have one moment to savour when Juninho Bacuna scored a consolation goal just before the break to make it 4-1.

But Germany added three more after the interval to complete the rout.

“We wanted to start with a lot of energy and we did that,” said Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann, whose side face Ivory Coast in Toronto on Saturday.

“Curacao tried their best but the class difference was too big.

“It was important for us to get a good feeling and score goals.”

Curacao’s players, many of whom play in the lower leagues in Europe, looked crestfallen at the final whistle but Advocaat tried to remain positive.

“It was a very difficult afternoon for us,” said the 78-year-old, the oldest coach at the tournament.

“Germany are one of the favourites to win the World Cup and they showed why today.

“But for our players and our country, just being here is an achievement. We must learn from this and move on.”