Conversation with the Barber

Conversation with the Barber

June 16, 2026

I had no intention of writing about the Curaçao versus Germany match. A debut of which we can be nothing but proud.

Before long, our conversation turned to the World Cup. How remarkably fit the United States looks. How could we have known that Morocco stopped being a small football nation a long time ago? Brazil knows that now as well. Morocco, like the Blue Wave, is also a product of the Dutch football school.

We wished all the communities in Curaçao well: Colombians, Portuguese, and others. We also agreed that it is a pity that the Dominican Republic, which has made tremendous progress in recent years, is not participating, nor is Suriname. Until a few years ago, Venezuela was also making significant progress, but lately, we hear much less about it. This diversity creates a wonderful atmosphere on the island.

We also discussed the concern that the Netherlands surrendered a lead twice against Japan and only managed to salvage a draw in the closing stages of the match. Japan equalized in the 89th minute.

It is striking how often goals are scored in the final minutes. That was also the case against Curaçao. The seventh goal was scored in the 88th minute. Fatigue undoubtedly plays a role, but concentration often starts to fade even before the final whistle.

The Blue Wave conceded its first goal as early as the sixth minute. My view is that the Blue Wave must be fully focused from the very first whistle, especially against an equally strong or stronger opponent. We certainly do not get fifteen minutes to settle into the game.

The historic equalizer came in the 21st minute. For a moment, it looked as if we had a real contest on our hands. Germany then made it 2–1 from a corner kick in the 38th minute. That was unfortunate, because it came from a set piece. Surely the scouts had information about that.

At that point, you hope to go into halftime trailing only 2–1 and start the second half with a new plan. But in the 45th minute, Germany converted another penalty. That made the gap too large and, perhaps unconsciously, caused belief to begin fading. It was this goal that sealed Curaçao’s fate.

Once again, it is notable that a goal was scored in the final minute of the half.

Curaçao usually performs best in the first half. The team is often less effective in the second half. We saw that against Scotland, as well as against China and Australia.

And once again, Curaçao did not come out of the dressing room fully focused. Just two minutes after halftime, in the 47th minute, we conceded the fourth goal. After that, we held firm until the 71st minute, when the score became 5–1.

At that point, you hope the scoreline will remain unchanged. But in the 78th minute it became 6–1, and in the 88th minute even 7–1.

My feeling, as an armchair analyst, is that we do not start games with enough concentration, nor do we finish them that way. The second half simply does not seem to be our half.

But of course, this is merely the kind of talk that comes to mind while getting a haircut.

And when that happens, it is best to sit still.

Miguel Goede