Germany battled back from behind to beat Ivory Coast 2-1 on Saturday, with substitute Deniz Undav scoring twice to send the four-time champions into the World Cup knockout stage with a group game still to spare.
Ivory Coast, who had opened their own World Cup campaign with a victory over Ecuador, were the better team for long stretches of the first half and deservedly took the lead in the 30th minute. Winger Yan Diomande surged down the right and whipped in a low, dangerous cross that captain Franck Kessie turned home from close range, sparking wild celebrations among the Ivorian supporters inside the stadium.
Germany struggled to find a foothold before that goal and remained frustrated afterward. Goalkeeper Yahia Fofana produced a smart save to deny a Kai Havertz header early on, and Germany twice had efforts ruled out. One for a foul on the goalkeeper at a corner, another for an infringement by Jamal Musiala in the build-up to a second disallowed Havertz goal. With the World Cup knockout stage suddenly looking out of reach, head coach Julian Nagelsmann turned to his bench just after the hour mark, making a triple substitution that brought on Undav and Nadiem Amiri together.
The change transformed the contest. In the 68th minute, Amiri swept in an excellent cross from the right flank, and Undav met it cleanly on the volley, beating Fofana to level the score and reward Germany’s attacking changes almost immediately.
The decisive moment came deep into stoppage time. In the 94th minute, Felix Nmecha slipped a pass through to Undav, who finished calmly to spark scenes of delirium among the Germany players and confirm their progression to the World Cup’s last 32. It capped a stunning turnaround and means Germany has now won both of their opening matches at this World Cup, having thrashed Curaçao 7-1 in their tournament opener. They join co-hosts the United States and Mexico among the sides already guaranteed a place in the World Cup knockout rounds.
For Undav, a forward who has become an increasingly important figure off the German bench, the brace took his international scoring tally to ten goals in just eleven appearances. His manager will now be able to rest key players knowing qualification for the World Cup’s knockout phase is already secured before Germany closes out their group campaign against Ecuador on Thursday.
There was also a personal milestone for Germany in the goalpost. Veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who was between the posts when Germany were last crowned World Cup champions back in 2014, made his 21st appearance at the tournament on Saturday. That moved him past France’s Hugo Lloris for the most World Cup appearances by a goalkeeper in the competition’s history. It is a fitting achievement for a player who has endured Germany’s disappointing group-stage exits at the World Cup in 2018 and 2022, only to finally return to the knockout stage.
For the Ivory Coast team, the defeat is a blow but not a fatal one. They remain very much in contention to reach the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in the nation’s history and will have another chance to secure passage when they face Curaçao in their final group match, played at the same time as Germany’s meeting with Ecuador. A positive result there could still be enough to send Ivory Coast through, even after this late, costly defeat against one of the tournament’s traditional heavyweights.
Meanwhile, the match drew a crowd of more than 43,000 at Toronto’s stadium, with both sets of supporters making themselves heard throughout an absorbing and ultimately dramatic contest. Germany’s late resilience will offer encouragement going into the knockout rounds, though questions remain about a first-half performance that, for long periods, was outplayed by an Ivory Coast side full of pace and ambition.
