Undav's brace turns around Germany's match against Ivory Coast and secures Round of 16 spot

Deniz Undav rescued Germany from a difficult situation by scoring a decisive brace against Ivory Coast (2-1) on Saturday evening in Toronto during the second group match of the 2026 World Cup. Die Mannschaft have now qualified for the Round of 16 before even playing their final group match.

The Ivorians had taken the lead deservedly: Franck Kessié opened the scoring around the half-hour mark, leaving Germany in trouble as they approached the break. The German response came from the bench. Brought on in the 68th minute — as he had already done six days earlier in the commanding 7-1 victory against Curaçao — the Stuttgart striker first equalized in the 68th minute, before securing the qualification goal in added time (90+4’).

Thanks to this victory, Die Mannschaft have booked their ticket to the knockout phase with a match to spare before the end of the group stage. The match against Ecuador, their final group opponent, will therefore have no qualification implications for the Germans.

On the Ivorian side, the situation remains in their hands: the Elephants, who began the competition with a defeat, will only need to beat Curaçao in four days to secure their own qualification.

The German eleven fielded by the manager included Neuer in goal, a four-man defense with Kimmich, Tah, Schlotterbeck and Brown, a double pivot of Pavlovic-Nmecha, and an attacking trio of Sané-Musiala-Wirtz behind Havertz up front. Ivory Coast lined up with Yacine Fofana in goal, Singo, Kossounou, Agbadou and Konan in defense, and a midfield made up of Sangaré, Kessié and Oulai, with Diallo, Bonny and Diomandé in attack.