Houston. Germany's seven-goal rout of Curaçao in its World Cup opener Sunday was the ideal response after consecutive group-stage exits for the four-time champions.

Kai Havertz scored twice as Germany pulled away from World Cup debutant Curaçao for a 7-1 victory in group play. The smallest country ever to appear in the tournament stayed level at 1-1 until the 38th minute.

"We really needed this convincing win," coach Julian Nagelsmann said. "We needed this self-confidence. It was there, but it definitely grew."

He said Sunday's performance was important for German fans.

"We have to show them that we can perform and we have to have the confidence," he said. "I think we're in a better spot than we were entering this match."

Livano Comenencia equalized at 1-1 in the 21st minute with a left-footed shot through traffic from the middle of the box, scoring Curaçao's first goal in World Cup history and sending fans of the tiny Caribbean nation into a frenzy.

"Even though it wasn't me, it felt like it was me, it was all of us, the whole island, everybody," Curaçao's Jearl Margaritha said. "We screamed our lungs out. So we were happy."

Germany took control from there, regaining the lead on Nico Schlotterbeck's header off Nathaniel Brown's corner kick in the 38th minute.

"One team has very high expectations and the other one doesn't, and that's a bit tricky," Nagelsmann said.

The six-goal margin fell short of the World Cup record of nine, achieved three times, most recently when Hungary beat El Salvador 10-1 in 1982. Germany's performance was also far less surprising than the last time it won 7-1 against host Brazil in the 2014 World Cup semifinals.

Havertz converted a penalty into the left corner in first-half stoppage time to make it 3-1 after Felix Nmecha was tripped in the box by Riechedly Bazoer.

Germany extended the lead quickly after halftime when Jamal Musiala scored on a right-footed shot across goal in the 47th minute.

Brown added a goal in the 68th minute to make it 5-1. The 22-year-old, whose father is American, said before the tournament that he would represent the country where he was born and raised by his mother.

Deniz Undav scored in the 78th minute before Havertz added his second goal in the 88th.

Germany is seeking redemption after group-stage eliminations in Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022 following its 2014 World Cup title.

"We are on the right path, but of course there are things that we can do better and we will have stronger opponents," Nagelsmann said.

Nmecha opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a one-timed right-footed shot inside the near post from just outside the box after an assist from Florian Wirtz.

The crowd of 68,021 overwhelmingly supported Germany, though a spirited contingent cheered for Curaçao.

It was the first World Cup match at NRG Stadium, home of the NFL's Houston Texans.

Manuel Neuer, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who came out of international retirement for the tournament, made one save in his first appearance for Germany in nearly two years.

The match featured the largest age gap between coaches in World Cup history, with Curaçao's 78-year-old Dick Advocaat becoming the oldest coach ever at the tournament against 38-year-old Nagelsmann, the youngest coach at this year's World Cup.

Germany faces Ivory Coast in Toronto on Saturday, while Curaçao meets Ecuador in Kansas City, Missouri, the same day.

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