Germany didn’t make qualification look easy. Deniz Undav made sure they got there anyway.
At BMO Field in Toronto, Germany turned a tense night into a 2-1 win over Ivory Coast, with Undav coming off the bench to score twice, including a stoppage-time winner in the 94th minute. The result moved Germany to six points from two matches and secured their place in the last 32 at the 2026 World Cup.
For much of the night, this looked less like a smooth German progression and more like a warning. Germany had more of the ball, more shots and more territory, but Ivory Coast gave the match its first major turn when Franck Kessié scored in the 30th minute, finishing from the center of the box to put the underdogs ahead.
Germany had already dealt with disruption before that. Nico Schlotterbeck needed treatment in the first half and was replaced by Antonio Rüdiger at halftime. The possession numbers still tilted Germany’s way, but the rhythm didn’t. Ivory Coast were compact, direct enough to threaten and disciplined enough to make Germany chase the match rather than manage it.
Germany’s bench changes the match
The game shifted in the 60th minute, when Germany made the changes that eventually decided it. Jamie Leweling replaced Leroy Sané, Deniz Undav came on for Jamal Musiala and Nadiem Amiri replaced Aleksandar Pavlovic. Eight minutes later, Amiri crossed and Undav finished from very close range to make it 1-1.
That equalizer didn’t make Germany comfortable, but it changed the pressure. Germany kept pushing, kept stretching Ivory Coast’s back line and kept finding better positions around the box. The numbers backed up the direction of travel: Germany finished with 59.5 percent possession, 16 shots, seven on target and eight corners.
Ivory Coast still had enough to make the final minutes tense. Kessié’s goal had given them a genuine path toward a major result, and Germany’s pressure didn’t erase the danger of another counter. But their attacking output faded as the match wore on. They finished with nine shots and only two on target, forcing Manuel Neuer into just one save.
Then came the moment that separated the teams. In the fourth minute of stoppage time, Felix Nmecha played Undav through, and the substitute finished with his left foot from the center of the box. Germany had their winner, and Undav had turned a difficult night into a clean group-stage outcome.
The win leaves Germany top of the group with two wins from two matches and a plus-seven goal difference. Ivory Coast remain second on three points, but the defeat keeps pressure on their final group match, especially with Ecuador and Curaçao still chasing from behind.
For Germany, this wasn’t the kind of performance that ends questions. It was the kind that answers one of the most important ones in a tournament: when the first plan stalls, is there enough on the bench to change the game? Against Ivory Coast, Undav gave Germany the answer.
