Substitute Deniz Undav scored his second and third goals of the World Cup and Germany rallied to clinch a spot in the knockout phase with an enthralling 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast in Group E competition last night in Toronto.
Body copy: No character style: After levelling in the 68th minute, Undav sealed all three points with a wonderful instinctive finish in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time to seal a first return for Germany (2-0-0, 6 points) to the knockout round for the first time since they won their fourth World Cup in 2014.
Body copy: No character style: It was only the 29-year-old’s fourth and fifth goals in a competitive international fixture after making his senior international debut in 2024.
Body copy: No character style: Undav’s brace reversed Franck Kessie’s first-half opener for Ivory Coast (1-1-0, 3 points), who are still in a strong position to advance to their first knockout phase in programme history.
Body copy: No character style: But Les Elephants missed out on a golden opportunity, particularly after Simon Adingra failed to put an effort on target on a glorious 88th-minute opportunity, leaving the door open for Undav’s heroics.
Body copy: No character style: After Undav took a simple but exquisitely calm volley from Nadiem Amiri’s cross to level the match, his winner was even better.
Body copy: No character style: With his back to goal, he deftly settled Felix Nmecha’s strong pass with his first touch, then spun his body and fired a lovely finish past Yahia Fofana with his second.
Body copy: No character style: After earning Man of the Match honors in Ivory Coast’s 1-0 opening win over Ecuador, the 19-year-old Diomande was the creative force behind Les Elephants’ opening goal, beating Joshua Kimmich down to the byline on the left and driving in a menacing low cross.
Body copy: No character style: Amad Diallo’s initial effort was blocked by lunging defender Nathaniel Brown, but Kessie cleaned up the rebound with an instinctive low finish from close range.
Body copy: No character style: Referee Juan Gabriel Benitez ruled out potential Germany goals on either side of Kessie’s strike. He first spotted a foul on Aleksandar Pavlovic while winning a header over Fofana in the 23rd minute, then similarly ruled out Havertz’s finish for a 40th-minute foul by Jamal Musiala that led to the opportunity.
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