2026 World Cup: Germany Comes Back Against Ivory Coast and Wins in the 94th Minute
Germany struggled and suffered for over an hour, fearing it might join the ranks of the big names facing more or less obvious struggles at the 2026 World Cup, but then rallies and, thanks to a two-goal performance by Deniz Undav, comes from behind to defeat an excellent Ivory Coast team and mathematically secure its spot in the round of 16. The 2-1 loss in Toronto, however, does not derail the Elephants’ campaign; they remain in contention to advance thanks to their opening-match victory over Ecuador.
It was clear from the very first three minutes that both teams wanted—and, above all, were capable of—winning, as Havertz on one side and the Bonny-Diomandé duo on the other created two clear scoring chances. Later, Singo responded to yet another effort by Havertz. After a goal was disallowed due to a foul by Pavlovic on Fofana, the Ivory Coast’s courage was rewarded in the 30th minute with a goal by Kessie, who was quick to pounce on a ball that Brown had parried to Diallo and beat Neuer with a tap-in.
Germany tried to respond, but the Ivory Coast pressed on: Neuer denied Bonny a second goal. Then a foul by Musiala cost the ever-inspired Havertz an equalizer. After the usual, endless stoppage time in the first half, it was Fofana who wasn’t fooled by Wirtz. Early in the second half, Musiala had a chance, but the African side nearly doubled their lead first through Kessie and then through Oulai. After another chance, this time by Diomandé, Nagelsmann makes a triple substitution, sending Undav onto the field among others: it would prove to be the decisive move.
In fact, it was Undav who scored the equalizer in the 68th minute with a volley off a cross from Amiri on the right. The Ivory Coast was shaken by the goal and took several minutes to regroup. When they did, however, they were dangerous: just a few minutes before the 90th minute, Adingra received a pass from Pepe but couldn’t find a way to finish in front of an open net. Germany capitalized on the opportunity and, in the 94th minute, even went on to win. Once again, the credit goes to Undav, who this time capitalized on a pass from Nmecha and, with a turn and shot, secured the qualifying goal for his team.
This isn’t the first time Undav has proven decisive in the final minutes while playing for Germany: as early as last March, in the pre-World Cup friendly against Ghana played at the MHPArena in Stuttgart, the forward had scored in the 88th minute to make it 2-1, giving the Mannschaft its seventh consecutive victory across official matches and friendlies. This knack for scoring in the moments that matter is something Nagelsmann has learned to exploit intelligently, as demonstrated by tonight’s triple substitution.
Among the evening’s standout underperformers was certainly Yan Diomandé, who came close to scoring several times but failed to find the net. The 19-year-old Leganés forward is one of the breakout stars of this World Cup and carries with him the weight of a moving story: in recent weeks, he had dedicated his World Cup participation to his sister Roxane, who passed away at just 15 years old in 2025, in an open letter in which he promised to dedicate every goal to her.
The future of Franck Kessie, who scored the Ivory Coast’s opening goal, is also a hot topic. The midfielder, who previously played for Milan and Atalanta among others, has already announced his intention not to renew his contract with Al-Ahli and to return to Europe. According to the latest transfer rumors, Juventus is in the lead to sign him, with Inter and Lazio ready to enter the fray. A final decision, however, will not be made until after the World Cup; tonight, though, Kessie reminded everyone why Serie A is so eager to welcome him back.
