Germany’s Deniz Undav (26) is mobbed by teammates after scoring their second goal through the World Cup Group E soccer match between Germany and Ivory Coast in Toronto, Saturday, June 20, 2026. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
TORONTO — An hour into the sport, Germany was getting outplayed by Ivory Coast and trailed by a goal.
Coach Julian Nagelsmann needed a spark and substituted in three fresh players, considered one of whom was Deniz Undav. That call paid off big time.
Undav scored twice as Germany defeated Ivory Coast 2-1 on Saturday and clinched a spot within the knockout phase on the World Cup.
READ: World Cup: Germany in search of redemption after early exits
“It’s essential that everybody sees that even the players from the bench can resolve games,” said Undav, who also scored in Germany’s 7-1 opening match rout of Curacao. “Now we’ve got a very essential signal to the team. I feel that’s very essential in a game like this.”
4 minutes into stoppage time, Undav received a pass from Felix Nmecha in front of the online and rifled it past Ivory Coast goalkeeper Yahia Fofana to present the Germans a comeback win. It was the German national team’s eleventh straight win, a streak dating to September 2025.
Undav’s first goal of the match got here after Nadiem Amiri sent in an extended ball – that striker Kai Havertz let pass him by – onto the boot of Undav, who slammed it into the back of the online within the 68th minute. Each Amiri and Undav had subbed on eight minutes earlier.
“Deniz is no person who must be prepared,” Nagelsmann said. “He can jump in straight away.”
4-time champion Germany has come back from disappointing group stage exits in 2018 and 2022, while Ivory Coast remains to be trying to find its first knockout stage appearance and will still qualify. The last time Germany got past the group stage it won the tournament in 2014.
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“Think we showed great character today,” Undav said. “We wish to realize essentially the most.”
Ivory Coast captain Franck Kessie opened the scoring within the thirtieth minute after midfielder Yan Diomande sent in a cross to forward Amad Diallo. His shot was blocked by Germany’s Nathaniel Brown, however the ball bounced back to Kessie, who slotted it within the wide-open left corner of the online.
Germany had two goals waved off in a frustrating first half. The primary was within the twenty first minute when Fofana batted the ball into his own net, but Germany midfielder Aleksander Pavlovic made illegal contact with Fofana on the play.
The second got here within the thirty eighth minute on a foul, as Jamal Musiala was called for contact on the build-up to what would’ve been a Havertz goal.
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After a court fight to get into Canada, Elye Wahi, the Ivory Coast striker under investigation for alleged betting-related offenses while playing in France for Nice, didn’t play.