Curacao coach Rutten believes side can spring a surprise at World Cup

[p]Rutten said the way the Caribbean nation, ‌population 156,000, battled through qualifying boded well for their campaign ‌at the June 11th - July 19th tournament in North ‌America, where they will play [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/germany/ptQide1O/"]Germany[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ivory-coast/G2FRjBgn/"]Ivory Coast[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ecuador/8tbm8Tri/"]Ecuador[/a] in Group E.[/p][p][b]"We have three chances and the first chance ‌is against Germany," he told reporters ⁠in Melbourne on Monday.[/b][/p][p][b]"So ‌for us it's not over in the first game.[/b][/p][p][b]"Generally, if ​it's a world championship or European championship, there were always surprises.[/b][/p][p][b]"And why not this year ​for us?[/b][/p][p][b]"We have a team of fighters, and they never give up."[/b][/p][image alt="Curacao's most recent results" id="68fd09a5-508a-4848-a4f2-c327b186f490" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="ffdd1e8e-50fe-4cc5-8b02-6fe5b8b6c4c6" original-width="1200" original-height="1200" /][p]The 82nd-ranked Caribbeans play world number 27 ⁠[a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/australia/xSrf6qMM/"]Australia[/a] at Melbourne ​Rectangular Stadium in a friendly on Tuesday, Rutten's second match in charge since succeeding veteran coach and fellow Dutchman Dick Advocaat.[/p][p]The first was a 2-0 defeat to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/china/f5AvIXD3/"]‌China[/a] in a friendly in Sydney last Friday.[/p][p]Beating Australia on their own turf would be a major statement before heading to the World Cup, and Rutten said he expected better from his players now that they were acclimatised after a long journey to Australia.[/p][p]He also said he had resisted making major changes to the side since taking over from Advocaat, who ‌was feted as a hero in Curacao after guiding ​them through qualifying.[/p][p]Advocaat stepped down a month ago ‌to spend more time with his unwell daughter, but Rutten said the 78-year-old was keeping tabs on his other footballing "family".[/p][p][b]"He wished the team good luck because this team is a family," he said.[/b][/p][p][b]"He ⁠was part of the ⁠family and still ‌feels he is."[/b][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/australia-xSrf6qMM/curacao-bLLGpOkQ/?mid=xYZOaL8b"]Follow the friendly with Flashscore.[/a][/p]