For 45 minutes, it looked like an upset might be in the works, but in the second half, Germany’s opening World Cup opponent, Curacao, ran out of steam against Scotland in Glasgow.
Germany’s opening World Cup opponent, Curacao, played its penultimate warm-up match on Saturday ahead of the 2026 World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. And for 45 minutes, the World Cup newcomer surprised Scotland in Glasgow.
For it was not the home team, the Bravehearts, but the underdog from the Caribbean who took the lead early on: Chong of Sheffield United put the squad led by returning coach Dick Advocaat ahead in the 16th minute. The 26-year-old had played for Werder Bremen in the 2020/21 season, scoring one goal.
Curacao continued to hold their own surprisingly well in the following minutes, but then came the 37th minute: former Bochum player Locadia went into a tackle with Brentford’s Hickey too aggressively. Following a VAR review, referee Goga Kikacheishvili from Georgia reviewed the play on the screen and subsequently brandished a red card for Locadia.
Shankland scores twice
Down a man, Curacao was then fighting a losing battle. Shortly before halftime, Scotland, through Curtis, capitalized on their numerical advantage to tie the game at 1-1. In the second half, Shankland (59th, 64th) and Christie from the penalty spot sealed a 4-1 victory for the Bravehearts.
On June 14 (7 p.m.), Germany will face Curacao in Houston to kick off the World Cup; other opponents in Group E for national team coach Julian Nagelsmann’s squad are Ivory Coast (June 20) and Ecuador (June 25, both at 10 p.m.).
Scotland has also qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1998. In Group C, Haiti, African champions Morocco, and record-holding world champions Brazil await the Bravehearts.