News Focus
- Deniz Undav nets a late double to give Germany a 2-1 victory over Côte d’Ivoire at Toronto Stadium
- The win guarantees Germany’s progression to the World Cup knockout rounds after group stage exits in 2018 and 2022
- Franck Kessié had put the Ivorians ahead in the first half before Germany’s second-half rally
- Julian Nagelsmann’s side have now secured six points from their opening two matches in the expanded 48-team tournament
Germany have finally broken their World Cup group stage curse. A dramatic late comeback against Côte d’Ivoire on Saturday evening secured their spot in the knockout phase for the first time in twelve years.
Substitute Deniz Undav emerged as the national hero at Toronto Stadium. The striker fired home an equaliser in the 68th minute before grabbing a stoppage-time winner four minutes into added time. This 2-1 triumph follows their crushing 7-1 opening victory against Curaçao and puts the four-time champions safely into the last 32.
The match began with Germany controlling possession. Kai Havertz tested the Ivorian goalkeeper Yahia Fofana early on, while Jamal Musiala created openings around the edge of the penalty area. However, the European side struggled to convert their dominance into goals.
Côte d’Ivoire struck first against the run of play. In the 30th minute, teenage sensation Yan Diomande broke free down the left flank and delivered a low cross. Manchester United winger Amad Diallo could not sort his feet quickly enough, but Franck Kessié arrived to sweep the loose ball past Manuel Neuer.
Germany thought they had levelled before the break when Aleksandar Pavlović headed in from a corner, but the goal was disallowed for a foul on the goalkeeper. Julian Nagelsmann’s men also had another effort ruled out when Musiala was judged to have pushed a defender in the build-up.
The manager made three changes at the hour mark to inject fresh energy. The substitutions worked perfectly. Nadiem Amiri, one of the new faces, slipped a pass through to Undav inside the box. The Brighton forward made no mistake, volleying home from close range to make it 1-1.
The closing stages were frantic. Côte d’Ivoire wasted a glorious chance to win it when Simon Adingra hesitated on a counter-attack. Germany then saw Nathaniel Brown denied by Fofana before Amiri missed an open goal.
With seconds remaining, Undav seized his moment. He spun sharply inside the area and blasted the ball past Fofana to spark wild celebrations among the German supporters. The goal confirmed that Germany will advance beyond the group stage for the first time since they lifted the trophy in Brazil twelve years ago.