Germany did not look like a team capable of winning anything at the last two World Cups. They went out in the group stage in 2018 and again in 2022, and the pressure on Julian Nagelsmann ahead of this tournament was considerable. Sunday night in Toronto answered at least one part of the question. They are in the knockout rounds. They did it the hard way. And the man who made it happen came off the bench in the 60th minute with the score level and then scored twice in the space of half an hour to send the travelling German support into a frenzy they have been waiting twelve years to feel.
Undav Writes His Name in History
Deniz Undav started the evening on the substitutes' bench with Germany trailing Ivory Coast, who had taken the lead through Franck Kessie in the 30th minute. When he came on in the 60th minute, the crowd was restless. What followed was remarkable. His first goal, a volley from close range after excellent work down the right, drew Germany level in the 68th minute. His second, deep into stoppage time at the 94th minute, was the kind of goal that defines tournament careers. He collected the ball, composed himself, and finished with the certainty of someone who had been waiting for exactly this moment. The stadium went from tense to euphoric in seconds.
Ivory Coast's Cruel Night
Spare a thought for Ivory Coast. Their teenage phenomenon Yan Diomande had an outstanding game, and Kessie's opener was the reward for a first half in which they genuinely outplayed their opponents. For long stretches of the second half they held Germany at bay and looked fully capable of protecting the lead. What undid them was the one thing that always undoes teams at World Cups — one moment of quality from the opposition when you are tired, with the clock running out and everything feeling secure.
Germany Are Back
Germany top Group E with six points and are guaranteed a place in the knockout rounds for the first time since winning the trophy in 2014. Julian Nagelsmann, who has faced considerable criticism during his tenure, paid tribute to Undav's clinical finishing and suggested it was "not out of the question" that the Stuttgart striker would start the next match. It was a careful way of saying: this man just changed the tournament for us.
Match facts: Germany 2-1 Ivory Coast, 2026 FIFA World Cup Group E (June 21, 2026). Scorers: Kessie 30' (CIV); Undav 68', 90'+4 (GER). Venue: BMO Field, Toronto. Manager: Julian Nagelsmann.
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