Germany 2-1 Ivory Coast: Deniz Undav's Late Brace Sends Germany Through (World Cup 2026)
Substitute Deniz Undav scored twice in the final half hour, including a 94th-minute winner, as Germany came from behind to beat Ivory Coast 2-1 at World Cup 2026.
20 June 2026
Result
Germany came from behind to beat Ivory Coast 2-1 at BMO Field in Toronto, with substitute Deniz Undav scoring twice in the final half hour to send the four-time champions into the knockout rounds. Franck Kessié put Ivory Coast ahead just past the half-hour mark, slotting home a rebound after Amad Diallo's shot was parried. Germany looked short of ideas until Undav came off the bench: he levelled in the 68th minute with a volley from an Amiri cross, then won it with a composed finish in the 94th minute after a pass from Nmecha.
What it means for Last Man Standing pools
Germany were the form pick after their 7-1 opening win, and anyone who used them here will have sweated for over an hour before Undav bailed them out. Ivory Coast's near-upset is exactly the kind of game that punishes "obvious" picks made too early — they led for almost 40 minutes against one of the tournament favourites. Pools that treat a draw as elimination came close to wiping out every Germany backer in one match before the late twist.
Pre-match forecasts
Pre-match forecasts had Germany as clear favourites following their 7-1 demolition of Curaçao in the opener, with most putting them in the 55-65% range to beat an Ivory Coast side that had won narrowly against Ecuador. The expectation was a comfortable German win built on superior firepower. Ivory Coast's first-half lead defied that script entirely, and for long stretches this had the shape of an upset before Germany's bench changed the picture late on.
Standout stats
Deniz Undav's brace came entirely from the bench, with both goals arriving after he was introduced as a substitute — the winner landing in the very last action of the match. Per tournament records, this result puts Germany into a World Cup knockout round for the first time since 2014, ending a run of two group-stage exits in the tournaments since. Kessié's opener, meanwhile, was Ivory Coast's first goal against European opposition at this World Cup, a marker of how competitive Group E has been throughout.
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