The German national team won its first match at the 2026 World Cup against Curaçao, 7–1. Several FC Bayern players were also in the lineup. According to Philipp Lahm, one of them still has room for improvement.
Overall, it was a match in which the German team put on a convincing performance. Joshua Kimmich made a big impact in the attack, and Jamal Musiala scored a magnificent goal. Aleksandar Pavlovic also made his World Cup debut.
You could still tell he was a little nervous here and there. Lahm, the 2014 World Cup champion, saw it that way, too.
Lahm sees room for improvement in Pavlovic
Basically, the former world-class defender didn’t want to join in the chorus of praise directed at the central midfield duo of Pavlovic and Felix Nmecha, who scored the 1-0 goal.
In the 7-1 win over the underdog from the Caribbean, the duo “made a few careless mistakes,” Lahm cautioned in his column for kicker. And: “Stronger opponents will punish that.”
Is this danger already looming against Ivory Coast on Saturday? “The key question for this Saturday’s match against the Ivory Coast will be: Where do they move when they have possession? Because there will be situations where you have to be well-positioned in advance to defuse counterattacks,” Lahm said.
The entire team will then need to play more compactly on defense and help their teammates. “The key question is: Who comes to the fullback’s aid? The defensive midfielder? The center back? What if he’s up front—who covers for him? You have to defend against dribblers like that as a team; a lot of players need to get behind the ball. Relying on one-on-one duels is dangerous,” Lahm explained.
The match against the Ivorians kicks off at 10 p.m.