Germany Comes From Behind to Beat Ivory Coast 2-1 and Advances to the Round of 16 at the World Cup

(AFP) With two goals from Deniz Undav, Germany secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast this Saturday in Toronto and advanced to the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup in North America.

Undav turned the game around for Germany with goals in the 68th and 90+4th minutes, after Franck Kessie opened the scoring for the Elephants at the half-hour mark in this second-round Group E match.

Germany, which had routed Curaçao 7-1, now has six points and leads Group E, while Ivory Coast has three points thanks to its 1-0 victory over Ecuador in its opener.

On the final matchday of the group stage, on Thursday, Germany will face Ecuador. Ivory Coast, for its part, will take on debutant Curaçao.

The match in Toronto rewarded the resilience of the team led by Julian Nagelsmann, who made the right substitutions at halftime by bringing in goal-scorer Undav. At the same time, it highlighted the Elephants’ lack of opportunism, as they squandered several chances to finish off their opponent.

Ivory Coast lived up to expectations and employed a counterattacking strategy against the Mannschaft. A blistering run down the left by Yan Diomande, the star of the African team, led to a cross that, following a mistake by the German defense, resulted in Kessie’s opening goal.

Germany felt the blow and went through a long stretch unable to respond. Neither Jamal Musiala nor Pavlovic could capitalize on their increased possession. Nagelsmann, the youngest coach in the World Cup at 38, took note and substituted both players for Undav and Amiri.

With Ivory Coast physically depleted, Germany stepped on the gas, and the African team’s defense faltered at key moments before finally succumbing.