Tahith Chong was named in Curaçao’s starting lineup against Germany as Dick Advocaat resisted the urge to load the team with an extra defender. Curaçao lined up in a 4-2-3-1, with Chong included from the start for a match that marked their first World Cup appearance.
That is why his name was being searched as the teams prepared to kick off at 12pm local time, 1pm EDT, 6pm BST and 3am AEST. Curaçao had never qualified for the World Cup before, so every selection carried extra weight, and Chong’s place in the XI put a familiar attacking option at the centre of a first for the country.
Chong’s inclusion also brought a wider backstory into view. said his full name is Tahith Jose Girigorio Djorkaef Chong, and that he was named after the Bolton legend because his father loved him at Inter. He has also played for Man United a few times and now plays for Sheffield United, a path that helps explain why he was trusted in a match of this size.
For Advocaat, the line-up came after a difficult year. He left in February to look after his ill daughter, then returned to the helm after her condition improved. Curaçao were already being described as the smallest ever World Cup participant, with a population of less than 160,000 and an area of 171 square miles, so the decision to keep faith with a 4-2-3-1 rather than retreat into a back five said plenty about how they intended to meet the moment.
That leaves the clearest answer in front of the whistle: Chong was in the team, Curaçao were on the biggest stage for the first time, and Advocaat chose to trust structure over caution. What mattered next was whether that balance could hold once Germany started asking the questions.
