Curaao Manager Dick Advocaat After Germany Loss: 'I Think We Can Still Be Proud'
For 37 minutes on Sunday, Curaao stayed with four-time champion Germany, with the World Cup first-timers daring to believe they could pull off the unimaginable. Livano Comenencia tied it with his left-footed shot through traffic from the center of the box in the 21st minute to give Curaao its first goal in the tournament and send fans of the Blue Wave into a frenzy. But Germany broke a 1-1 tie in the 38th minute and overwhelmed this tiny Caribbean nation after that, running away with the game for a 7-1 victory in the group stage. "This is not a disgrace," Curaao coach Dick Advocaat said. "I think we can still be proud." It was an emotional day for the 78-year-old Advocaat, a World Cup veteran who previously coached the Netherlands in 1994 and South Korea in 2006. He wept before the game as his team from a country of just 158,000 made history with its debut in the tournament. "This is related with the joy of the people in Curaao," he said. "It may be a matter of my age, but this is when the emotion comes to the surface. I dont really like it [but] the joy of the people is fantastic." He became the oldest man to ever coach a World Cup game and did it against Germanys 38-year-old coach Julian Nagelsmann, who is the youngest in this years tournament. Comenencias goal gave Curaao confidence early and was yet another milestone in the teams historic run. "The goal was absolutely fantastic for all of us, for the nation as well," winger Kenji Gorre said. "Its more history being made. The first goal ever scored on the world stage. Its just phenomenal, and were all grateful that we were here to experience it [with] all the people in the stadium." Nagelsmann was impressed with the fight shown by Curaao and noted that it can be dangerous when an underdog gets confidence. "The opponent played better than many had expected in Germany," he said. "They played with a lot of courage." While Curaao was proud to have stuck with a powerhouse like Germany for most of the first half, there was disappointment at the final score. Curaao had the biggest goal difference in a defeat of a nation making its World Cup debut since South Korea lost 9-0 to Hungary in 1954, according to Opta. "Mixed emotions, mixed feelings. On one side, you think, Wow, weve made history by coming to the World Cup," Gorr said. "On the other its like, Wow, we wish that we could have got some points. But were playing against the worlds best and the worlds best punish you at every opportunity they can, and you see that they punished us seven times from mistakes that we made." Curaao hopes that the experience gained Sunday will help as it continues in the tournament against Ecuador on Saturday in Kansas City. "We still have matches to go and things can still end up differently," Advocaat said. Reporting by The Associated Press.
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