TORONTO — In a dramatic turn of events that sealed Germany’s place in the World Cup knockout round, second-half substitute Deniz Undav delivered a stellar two-goal performance to secure a 2-1 comeback victory over Ivory Coast on Saturday.
The game’s decisive moment came in the fourth minute of stoppage time, when Undav got on the end of a pinpoint pass from Felix Nmecha just in front of the goal. The striker fired a clinical shot past Ivory Coast goalkeeper Yahia Fofana, putting Germany ahead for good and sparking wild celebrations from the German camp.
Undav’s first goal, which leveled the scoreline for Germany, came in the 68th minute. Nadiem Amiri launched a long ball forward that Germany striker Kai Havertz intentionally let run through to Undav, who hit a powerful shot straight into the back of the net. Both Amiri and Undav had only entered the match as substitutes eight minutes before that equalizing goal, a substitution move that would ultimately pay off massively for the German side.
For four-time World Cup champion Germany, the milestone marks a major redemption after consecutive devastating group stage exits at the 2018 and 2022 tournaments. The last time Germany advanced past the group stage of the World Cup, they went on to lift the trophy in 2014, giving the side plenty of momentum as they move into the knockout round.
As for Ivory Coast, the heartbreaking defeat leaves them still chasing their first ever appearance in the World Cup knockout stage. Their campaign is not yet over, however, as they still retain a mathematical chance to qualify for the next round in their final group match.
This report was contributed by Lexie Linderman, a journalism student at Penn State, and comes via the Associated Press’ ongoing World Cup coverage.