Neuer says Germany shows control and creativity in World Cup opener

Germany’s opening victory over Curaçao in Houston Stadium looked less like a routine start than a statement about how Julian Nagelsmann wants this team to function. Manuel Neuer said the performance reflected concentration, control of the game and creativity in attack, and he stressed the need to maintain that standard as the tournament develops.

For a four-time world champion, the significance ran deeper than a clean result. Germany had lost its first match in each of the last two World Cups and was chasing its first opening-game win in 12 years, a record that made the Group E debut feel like an early test of discipline as much as talent. Against that backdrop, Neuer’s assessment pointed to a side trying to impose order rather than chase momentum.

The signs had already been visible in the final warm-up before the tournament. Germany beat the United States 2-1 in Chicago on June 6, with Kai Havertz scoring after just two minutes and Leroy Sané sealing the result. Nagelsmann called that match a “perfect test” as Germany prepared for the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and the result suggested a team arriving with sharper edges than in some recent major tournaments.

Neuer’s own return adds weight to that argument. Nagelsmann announced a 26-player squad on May 21, and Neuer came back into the frame after internal discussions with the coaching staff. FIFA noted that the Bayern Munich performances behind his recall helped restore him as Germany’s starter, and that he became the ninth player to win a World Cup and then return to the tournament 12 years later.

The next phase of Group E will show whether that first impression holds. Germany were set to face Costa de Marfil in Toronto on June 20 and Ecuador in New York/New Jersey on June 25, two fixtures that should reveal whether the control Neuer praised can survive against stronger resistance. If it does, Germany’s opening win may prove to be the clearest sign yet that a more coherent version of the team is taking shape.