WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina, June 16 (Reuters) - Germany's seven-goal rout of Curacao for their World Cup opener has triggered a wave of enthusiasm among success-starved fans, but captain Joshua Kimmich said on Tuesday the team needed their next two group matches to see exactly where they stand.
The Germans thrashed Curacao 7-1 on Sunday to take control of Group E. They play Ivory Coast, also on three points following their 1-0 win over Ecuador, on Saturday before completing their group matches
against Ecuador next week.
"It was an expected win for us but the way it happened was very dominant," Kimmich told a press conference. "But we have seen that to win by such a score is not expected (in this tournament)."
While the four-time champions easily won their opener against the World Cup newcomers from the Caribbean, European champions Spain stumbled to a 0-0 draw against minnows Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia also snatched a draw against Uruguay.
Germany are desperate to restore their international reputation after suffering shock first-round exits in the previous two World Cups in 2018 and 2022. They are now on a 10-game winning streak but Kimmich said the team would have a much better picture of their chances in the tournament after the group stage.
"Both teams (Ivory Coast and Ecuador) are physically very strong and they can deal well with the conditions," Kimmich said.
"We played the first game against an opponent who is certainly not world class. Now come some challenges where we can see where we stand. We have great qualities to hurt opponents. We need to work on stability, reduce the goals we concede, even against a small opponent."
While the Germans want to gradually hit top form at the right time after more than a decade of failing to make any impact on the international stage, Kimmich warned they needed to be more consistent in their game.
Former Germany coach Joachim Loew, who led them to their last World Cup title in 2014, told a sports show back in Germany that while the team had a lot of quality it was still lacking the necessary stability to win the title.
"Let's play the next two matches and then all the experts can better evaluate where we stand," Kimmich said. "We have now won 10 games in a row. I have the feeling that we are on a good path."
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
