Curaçao’s first-ever World Cup appearance ended in a difficult defeat, but head coach Dick Advocaat insists there was no reason for his players or nation to feel ashamed.

The Caribbean debutants stayed level with four-time champions Germany for much of the opening half before eventually falling 7-1 in their group-stage encounter.

For Advocaat, the result did not erase the significance of the moment.

“This is not a disgrace,” the veteran coach said. “I think we can still be proud.”

Curaçao believe before Germany take control

For 37 minutes, Curaçao dared to imagine one of football’s greatest upsets.

Germany struck first, but Curaçao responded with a historic moment of their own.

Livano Comenencia fired home from inside the box in the 21st minute, sending the Blue Wave supporters into celebration and giving the island nation its first-ever World Cup goal.

The strike transformed the atmosphere.

“It was absolutely fantastic for all of us, for the nation as well,” Curaçao winger Kenji Gorré said.

“It’s more history being made. The first goal ever scored on the world stage, it’s just phenomenal and we’re all grateful that we were here to experience it.”

Germany’s quality eventually proves too much

The dream lasted until Germany regained the lead in the 38th minute.

From there, the four-time champions took control, using their experience and attacking quality to pull away after halftime.

The final scoreline was harsh on Curaçao, but it also reflected the ruthless nature of facing one of the world’s elite teams.

Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann praised the courage shown by the tournament newcomers.

“The opponent played better than many had expected in Germany,” Nagelsmann said.

“They played with a lot of courage.”

An emotional day for a historic coach

The occasion carried special meaning for Advocaat.

At 78 years old, he became the oldest coach ever to lead a team at a World Cup, facing Germany’s 38-year-old Nagelsmann, the youngest coach at this year’s tournament.

Before kickoff, Advocaat was visibly emotional as he watched his players represent a nation of only about 158,000 people on football’s biggest stage.

He admitted the moment was difficult to contain.

“This is related with the joy of the people in Curaçao,” Advocaat said.

“It may be a matter of my age, but this is when the emotion comes to the surface. I don’t really like it... (but) the joy of the people is fantastic.”

Pride mixed with disappointment

While Curaçao celebrated its historic achievement, the players were also honest about the frustration of not earning a better result.

According to Opta, the seven-goal defeat was the largest loss suffered by a World Cup debutant since South Korea’s 9-0 defeat to Hungary in 1954.

Gorré acknowledged the conflicting emotions inside the dressing room.

“Mixed emotions, mixed feelings, on one side you think, ‘Wow, we’ve made history by coming to the World Cup,’” he said.

“On the other it’s like, ‘Wow, we wish that we could have got some points.’”

He recognized that mistakes against elite opposition are often punished immediately.

“But we’re playing against the world’s best and the world’s best punish you at every opportunity they can, and you see that they punished us seven times from mistakes that we made.”

Focus turns to Ecuador

Despite the setback, Curaçao’s World Cup journey is far from over.

Advocaat believes the experience gained against Germany can help his team improve as the tournament continues.

“We still have matches to go and things can still end up differently,” he said.

Curaçao now prepare for their next challenge against Ecuador in Kansas City on Saturday, carrying both the lessons of their opening match and the pride of a nation that finally reached football’s biggest stage.