DFB team advances to the knockout round after 2:1 win over Ivory Coast

Deniz Undav is listed in the statistics as the second-best goalscorer in the Bundesliga. In the 2:1 win over the West Africans, Nadiem Amiri, who had also been brought on in the 61st minute, provided the assist for the equalizer: "Traumhafte Flanke auf Undav, der zum Ausgleich traf." The decisive pass before the winning goal was played by Felix Nmecha. His contribution was expressly praised in the German camp: "Sein Pass vor dem Siegtreffer durch Undav war schlicht weltklasse."

Strong start, cold setback

The German team, however, struggled for long periods against the 2024 African continental champion. The Ivory Coast had gone unbeaten in qualifying and had won their opening match against Ecuador 1:0. DFB sporting director Rudi Völler had warned before kickoff, above all, about the opponent's pace: "Was immer wieder außergewöhnlich ist, ist die Geschwindigkeit, die die mitbringen." The Ivorians, who took the field in Toronto with five personnel changes compared to their first group match, indeed played with attacking intent from the start.

After just 13 seconds Kai Havertz fired off the first shot on goal; in the 10th minute he headed a Joshua Kimmich cross toward the bottom corner, but goalkeeper Yahia Fofana, who was between the posts for the Ivory Coast, saved comfortably. The German team fashioned further chances in the early stages through Musiala (18') and Nmecha (21'), but the goal came at the other end: in the 30th minute Yan Diomande whipped in a cross from the left following a quick counter, the shot by Amad Diallo was blocked by Nathaniel Brown, and captain Franck Kessié, formerly of AC Milan and FC Barcelona, tucked away the rebound to give the Ivorians the lead.

Two goals ruled out

Just before the halftime whistle came the first controversial moment: in the 22nd minute Aleksandar Pavlovic had appeared to score from a corner, but referee Juan Gabriel Benitez of Paraguay ruled it out for a foul on goalkeeper Fofana. In the 39th minute a headed goal by Havertz was also chalked off because Musiala had fouled Odilon Kossounou in the build-up. That meant two German goals were disallowed for fouls in the first half. The teams went in at 0:1 with seven minutes of stoppage time, during which Florian Wirtz had also squandered a good chance (45'+7).

Schlotterbeck injury

Even before the break, the German team had been dealt a personnel setback. Nico Schlotterbeck suffered an injury to his left leg in the first half and was replaced at halftime by Antonio Rüdiger. The Real Madrid center-back, who had recently extended his contract with the Spanish top club, took over the central defensive position. Head coach Julian Nagelsmann also sent out the same starting eleven for the second half as he had for the 7:1 win over Curaçao, with Leroy Sané once again called up despite media-critical voices after the first group match.

After the restart the West Africans initially looked dangerous. Manuel Neuer parried a long-range effort from Kessié in the 50th minute, and in the 51st minute Christ Inao Oulai missed another opportunity. In that phase "waren die Westafrikaner sogar dichter am zweiten Treffer" than the German side was to the equalizer, according to the match analysis. In the 64th minute Havertz had the chance to equalize after a mistake by Fofana, but headed just wide of the goal.

Triple substitution as the turning point

The turning point came with a triple substitution by head coach Julian Nagelsmann: in the 61st minute he brought on Deniz Undav, Jamie Leweling, and Nadiem Amiri for Musiala, Sané, and Pavlovic. "Doch ein Dreifachwechsel von Bundestrainer Julian Nagelsmann brachte den Ausgleich." Undav "sortierte sich in den letzten 30 Minuten im Sturmzentrum ein" and, with his two goals, became the man of the evening. His first goal came after he "mal fallen ließ, selbst einleitete und dann im Strafraum zur Stelle" was. For the winning goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time, "schlug der Vollblutstürmer noch ein zweiten Mal zu (90.+4)".

Earlier, Leon Goretzka had produced a decisive clearing action in the 88th minute, and Yahia Fofana rescued his team in the 89th minute with a strong save from a Nathaniel Brown shot. At the other end, Simon Adingra missed a great chance to restore the Ivorians' lead in the 88th minute. No yellow cards were shown in the heated closing stages.

Reactions after the match

With the win, the Germans have six points from two group matches and can no longer be dislodged from one of the top two places in Group E. It is the first time since the 2006 home World Cup that the DFB team has reached the round of 16 after just two matches. Both teams that met in Toronto had entered the tournament as four-time continental champions (Germany, Ivory Coast) and, in the case of the Ivory Coast, as 2024 African champions; Germany had failed to reach the round of 16 at the previous two World Cups in 2018 and 2022.

Referee Juan Gabriel Benitez of Paraguay, who officiated the match in the smallest of the 16 World Cup stadiums, had disallowed two apparent German goals in the first half for fouls. The official match statistics also show that Manuel Neuer, with his 21st World Cup match, is now the sole record goalkeeper, overtaking France's Hugo Lloris. The match was also Germany's eleventh consecutive competitive victory.

Head coach Julian Nagelsmann was satisfied with his team's fighting spirit after the final whistle. He described Deniz Undav as a "brutal Finisher" and stressed that the team is "füreinander da" and "Am Ende finde ich es verdient". Defender Jonathan Tah also praised the attitude: "Siegermentalität und Teamgeist" had been decisive, he said, and Undav had produced an "überragende" performance as a substitute, having already committed himself to the team during the drinks break.

Outlook on the third group match

In Germany, numerous fans followed the match at public-viewing events in North Rhine-Westphalia, where the mood was exuberant. "Beim Rudel-Gucken in NRW blieben die Fans trocken, die nächsten Gewitter werden erst am frühen Morgen erwartet." At home, the relief at the win quickly spread: "Der war auch beim Public Viewing in Nordrhein-Westfalen am Ende garantiert." With that, the DFB team has reached the knockout round, as a breaking-news flash put it late on Saturday evening: "Eilmeldung: Deutschland gewinnt zweites WM-Spiel und ist in der K.o-Runde."

For the Ivory Coast, the tournament continues next Thursday at the same time (9:50 p.m.) in Philadelphia against Curaçao, while Germany faces Ecuador at the same time in East Rutherford, New York. A draw will be enough for the DFB team to seal top spot in the group. Germany's round-of-16 matches are scheduled for Boston and Philadelphia, and the team's World Cup base is in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

The Ivory Coast was, for long stretches of the match, the expectedly awkward opponent. Coach Emerse Fae put five new players into the starting lineup – Amad Diallo, Odilon Kossounou, Ibrahim Sangare, Christ Inao Oulai, and Ange-Yoan Bonny – and thus provided fresh impetus. Despite the defeat, the team showed that it was not without reason considered one of the most uncomfortable group-stage opponents for the DFB side. "Der Gegner ist deutlich stärker als Curacao zum Auftakt", Völler had warned – and that assessment was confirmed on the pitch.