Comenencia grabbed historic goal for Curaçao
Right-back described “beautiful moment“ of scoring past Neuer
World Cup debutants shifting focus to next game against Ecuador
The way Livano Comenencia described the goal, you would hardly have known he was talking about a goal that had just made history. But the right-back’s visible emotion told a different story. “I dribbled and passed the ball to Sontje Hansen, but the pass was too short,” he explained. “Then it came to [Jurgen] Locadia. His shot was blocked, but I saw a little space and I shot it perfectly.”
It was a moment he will never forget – so special that even the 7-1 hammering by Germany could not wipe the smile from his face. With that strike, Comenencia became the first Curaçao player to score at a FIFA World Cup™.
It was not just any goalkeeper he beat, either. Standing between the posts for Germany was the legendary Manuel Neuer, appearing at his fifth World Cup. That made the moment all the more surreal for Comenencia: after years of playing with Neuer on his PlayStation, he had now prevented him from keeping a clean sheet in a World Cup match.
“He’s one of the greatest keepers [of all time],” the Zurich defender said. “I played with him on FIFA, on my PlayStation, and now I’ve actually scored against him. It was a beautiful moment.”
The Blue Wave fell behind after just six minutes, but Comenencia drew them level in the 21st minute. Die Mannschaft, however, regained control before the break through Nico Schlotterbeck and Kai Havertz, then struck four more times in the second half to seal a comprehensive victory.
Comenencia, though, refused to let the result overshadow the occasion. The Breda-born full-back, who came through the youth academies of PSV Eindhoven and Juventus, was deployed in an attacking midfield role against Germany. He is now determined to take the positives from Curaçao’s historic debut into Saturday’s meeting with Ecuador. “I have mixed feelings about it, but I’m proud that I scored [Curaçao’s first-ever World Cup goal],” he said. “We have to forget the result and focus on the next game.”
Sources: FIFA Official
