'Learning experience' - Sheffield United man shares honest verdict after making World Cup debut
Sheffield United wide man Tahith Chong started Curaçao’s World Cup opener against Germany at the weekend.
Sheffield United winger Tahith Chong has described Curaçao’s 7-1 defeat to Germany in their World Cup opener as a “learning experience” for him and his teammates.
After becoming the smallest ever nation to qualify for the World Cup finals, Curaçao got their tournament underway with a heavy defeat at the hands of the four-time World Cup winners in Houston on Sunday.
Despite falling behind just six minutes in after a brilliant effort from Felix Nmecha found the top corner, the Blue Wave pulled themselves level 15 minutes later when midfielder Livano Comenencia found the back of the net via a deflected strike, sparking wild and jubilant scenes inside the Houston Stadium. With a land mass smaller than the Isle of Man, it was a historic moment for the Caribbean island.
Unfortunately for Dick Advocaat’s side, Germany turned up the heat and added another six goals to their tally either side of the half-time interval to put the opening game in Group E beyond doubt. Nico Schlotterbeck put Germany 2-1 ahead after 38 minutes before Kai Havertz converted a penalty deep into first half stoppage time to give Germany a 3-1 lead at the break.
Jamal Musiala then added a fourth for the 2014 World Cup winners immediately after the break to put the contest to bed.
Despite the outcome, Curaçao, who are currently ranked 83rd in FIFA’s world rankings, will always have the moment that they equalised. They will be hoping to bottle the confidence gained from that historic moment ahead of their final two group games.
Reflecting on what was a landmark event for such a small island, United ace Chong, who started the game, told SportyTV: “I think probably the supporter in me is a little bit disappointed.
“Like I said, I don't think you get to this point if you're not competitive. So, of course, we're disappointed about the result. I think, for the group, it's a great learning experience now. It’s obviously our first time at the World Cup, but we don't want it to be the last one.
“I think it's definitely a learning experience for us. We know Germany's got a wonderful team, so it's compliments to them. But I think for us, it's been a good learning curve because I think if you want to get to that next level, this is what you're looking at, and this is the next level.
“I think it's been a great learning experience for us; I think we'll take some stuff away from it. I say all the time football it's really about momentum and moments. Potentially, you go into half-time 2-1 instead of the penalty.
“It's a different game and then come out after half-time and concede after 30 seconds for four as well. So it's difficult, but I think I'm proud of the boys, how everyone kind of showed fight, and we'll definitely learn from this.”
Curaçao are next in action this weekend, facing Ecuador at 1am BST on Sunday before locking horns with the Ivory Coast at 9pm BST on June 25.