Curacao head coach Dick Advocaat insisted his side had “nothing to be ashamed of” after suffering a 7-1 defeat to Germany in their FIFA World Cup debut.
The Caribbean nation briefly stunned the four-time world champions when Livano Comenencia equalised at 1-1, but Germany’s superior quality ultimately proved decisive as they cruised to victory in Houston.
Advocaat, 78, said the result reflected the vast gap in resources and experience between the two sides, noting that Germany’s squad is valued at around €850 million compared to Curacao’s €25 million.
Despite the heavy loss, the veteran Dutch coach praised his players for reaching the World Cup for the first time and urged them to remain positive ahead of upcoming Group E matches against Ecuador and Ivory Coast.
“It is already a tremendous achievement that we qualified for the World Cup,” Advocaat said. “All we need to do is show the best of ourselves here.”
He also paid tribute to Curacao’s supporters, whose passionate backing created memorable scenes despite the defeat.
