Germany’s last World Cup knockout game was a win in the 2014 final. Since then, they’ve crashed out in the group stage twice, lost in the Euro 2020 round of 16, and spent a decade searching for a reliable No. 9. Miroslav Klose retired, and the goals vanished with him.
On Sunday, Kai Havertz offered the strongest evidence yet that the drought might be over.
Playing as the central striker in a 7-1 demolition of Curacao, Havertz scored twice, led the press, and gave Julian Nagelsmann something no German coach has had since Klose: a forward who can both drop deep to link play and finish in the box. The debate about whether Germany needs a traditional No. 9 — or whether Havertz can truly fill that role — suddenly feels settled.
“Kai Havertz is an anchor player for this team,” Thomas Müller said after the match. “He is clearly set as the No. 9, and if possible, he should play every single minute. Especially against big teams, he becomes even more crucial.”
Müller, the third-highest scorer in German national team history, knows what a World Cup–caliber striker looks like. He was there when Klose carried the line in 2014. He also watched Germany flounder without one in 2018 and 2022.
Havertz’s numbers back up the optimism: 24 goals in 59 international appearances, including two in the opener. But the real story is how he played. He drifted wide, dropped into midfield to collect balls, and still made the runs into the box that produced his goals. Deniz Undav, an actual out-and-out striker, came off the bench and scored too — but the starting role is Havertz’s, and Nagelsmann made that clear from the first whistle.
“We played with the right intensity,” Nagelsmann said. “If we do that, we can have a good tournament. We really needed this convincing win, and the confidence it will give us.”
The win came against limited opposition, and tougher tests are coming — starting with Ivory Coast on Saturday. But Germany’s bigger issues remain: Joshua Kimmich started at right-back after playing midfield for Bayern Munich all season, and the recall of 40-year-old Manuel Neuer says more about the goalkeeper pipeline than anyone in the federation probably wants to admit. Leroy Sané also missed a one-on-one in the second half that won’t endear him to critics back home.
Still, none of those problems matter if the team can’t score. And with Havertz leading the line, the goals are flowing. Germany’s fans chanted “the train has no brakes” after the win. Nagelsmann wants to keep rolling. If Havertz stays hot, they just might.
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