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Report nowLivano Comenencia scores for Curaçao against Germany at the World Cup—his club, FCZ, is also celebrating the goal. His teammates speak of pride and pure joy over the historic goal.
Twelve players currently under contract in Switzerland are competing at the World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Five of them play for Young Boys. So far, however, it is someone else who has made the biggest headlines: FCZ defender Livano Comenencia.
The 22-year-old is participating in his first World Cup with Curaçao and immediately made history. In the Caribbean nation’s first World Cup match, Comenencia scored the much-celebrated 1-1 equalizer against Germany in the 21st minute—and with it, the first World Cup goal in Curaçao’s history.
blue News was on site the day after the historic goal at FC Zurich’s official training kickoff and spoke with Comenencia’s teammates. German defender Alexander Hack says: “I watched the game with a few guys from the team. Of course, you’re happy when a teammate scores a goal at a World Cup—even if it didn’t necessarily have to be against Germany.”
He was particularly impressed by his teammate’s performance: “When an FCZ player takes the field against Germany and is one of the best players on the pitch, that makes you proud. He did a great job.”
Hack explains that he feels pure joy for his teammate’s success: “We also joked a lot about what his first game might be like. We told him he had to make sure he didn’t get too many ‘ankle breakers.’ But he did an outstanding job.”
It’s understandable that Curaçao couldn’t keep up with the high tempo against a team like Germany for the full 90 minutes: “It’s a shame it ended up being such a lopsided result. But they really played strongly in the first 30 minutes.”
Center back Lindrit Kamberi had sent his teammate a message before the game. “I texted him in the morning and wished him good luck. It must have been a huge experience for him,” says Kamberi. “The fact that he then went on to score makes me incredibly happy. We were all incredibly happy for him.”
For Kamberi, the significance of the goal goes beyond the player himself: “It also makes FCZ proud when one of our players gets to play in a World Cup and then even scores a goal against Germany. It was his first World Cup goal for his country—what could be a better feeling?”
And with a smile, Kamberi announces: “When he comes back, we’ll definitely organize something special for him.”
FCZ President Ancillo Canepa also watched the match on TV and said at the city club’s press conference: “My wife Heliane wasn’t sitting next to me when I was watching the game. But when Comenencia scored the 1-1 equalizer, a huge scream went through the whole house.”
Canepa also emphasized how delighted the club is with its player’s success: “We were already extremely proud beforehand that he made it to the World Cup with Curaçao at all. That alone was already an incredible story.” Speaking about Comenencia, the FCZ president says: “We’re genuinely happy for him. He’s a great guy, very hardworking and strong-willed.”
Despite the big stage, the FCZ boss isn’t worried about an immediate departure: “I don’t expect 10-million-franc offers to suddenly start pouring in. We want to keep him, after all. He’s a very important player for us.”
