Germany booked their place in the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after substitute Deniz Undav scored a dramatic late brace to inspire a 2-1 comeback victory over Ivory Coast at Toronto Stadium on Saturday.
The result sealed Germany’s second consecutive win in Group E and guaranteed their progression to the last 16. However, Ivory Coast were left heartbroken after producing an impressive display and coming within minutes of a famous result.
Germany started brightly and almost opened the scoring in the fourth minute. Joshua Kimmich delivered a superb cross into the penalty area, but Kai Havertz saw his effort denied by an excellent save from Yahia Fofana.
Ivory Coast soon settled into the contest and threatened on the counterattack. In the 12th minute, Wilfried Singo broke forward and fired a shot from inside the box, but Germany recovered well to block the effort.
Jamal Musiala then came close for Germany in the 18th minute. The young playmaker collected possession on the edge of the area and curled a fine effort narrowly wide of the far post.
Germany thought they had taken the lead three minutes later when Aleksandar Pavlovic bundled the ball into the net from a corner. However, the referee immediately ruled out the goal after the midfielder collided recklessly with goalkeeper Yahia Fofana.
Ivory Coast made Germany pay in the 30th minute. Highly rated winger Yan Diomande produced a brilliant piece of skill down the left flank before driving a dangerous ball into the area. Amad Diallo’s initial effort was blocked, but Franck Kessie reacted quickest and slammed home from close range for his 16th international goal.
The goal ended a remarkable run, as each of Ivory Coast’s previous six World Cup goals had arrived after halftime.
Germany pushed hard for an equaliser before the break. Kai Havertz found the net in the 40th minute, but the strike was disallowed after the Arsenal forward fouled Emmanuel Agbadou in the build-up. Moments later, Florian Wirtz forced a deflection behind for a corner after combining well with Musiala, but Ivory Coast comfortably cleared the danger.
The first half also extended an unwanted German record. Germany have now conceded at least one goal in each of their last eight World Cup matches, their second-longest such run after conceding in their first nine tournament games between 1934 and 1954.
Julian Nagelsmann made a defensive change at halftime, introducing Antonio Rudiger for the injured Nico Schlotterbeck, who failed to recover from an ankle problem suffered during the opening period.
Germany continued to dominate possession after the restart and nearly levelled in the 64th minute. Havertz rose highest to meet another Kimmich delivery, but he could not direct his header on target after misjudging Yahia Fofana’s attempted claim.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 68th minute and it came from two substitutes. Nadiem Amiri picked out a perfect cross from the right, and Deniz Undav timed his run brilliantly before guiding a composed finish into the net with the side of his left foot.
Nagelsmann’s substitutions once again proved decisive. Germany’s replacements have now contributed five goal involvements at the 2026 World Cup, more than any other nation.
Ivory Coast responded by introducing fresh legs, with Evann Guessand, Seko Fofana and Simon Adingra replacing Ange-Yoan Bonny, Ibrahim Sangare and Amad Diallo.
The African side had a golden opportunity to reclaim the lead in the 89th minute. Nicolas Pepe burst down the right and delivered a perfect pass to the unmarked Simon Adingra at the far post. However, Adingra’s first touch let him down, allowing Germany to recover and clear the danger.
That miss proved costly.
Moments later, Nathaniel Brown forced another excellent save from Yahia Fofana before Germany struck the decisive blow deep into stoppage time.
In the fourth minute of added time, Felix Nmecha found Undav inside the penalty area. The Stuttgart forward controlled the ball, spun sharply and smashed an unstoppable finish beyond Fofana to complete the turnaround and send Germany into the knockout rounds.
The late winner sparked wild celebrations among the German players, while several Ivory Coast stars collapsed to the turf in disbelief after seeing a valuable point slip away.
Undav’s match-winning cameo continued his remarkable tournament. No player has recorded more goal involvements as a substitute at a single World Cup than the German forward, who now has five in the 2026 edition.
Germany’s victory secures their place in the knockout phase and strengthens their position at the top of Group E. They will conclude their group campaign against Ecuador.
Ivory Coast, meanwhile, must now beat Curacao in their final group match next Thursday to keep their qualification hopes alive.
This was the first men’s World Cup meeting between Germany and Ivory Coast. Their only previous encounter came in a 2009 friendly in Gelsenkirchen, which ended 2-2. Germany also maintained their strong record against African opposition, having now lost only one of nine World Cup matches against teams from the continent.
