Deniz Undav struck in the 68th minute and again in the 90.+4 minute to lift Germany to a 2:1 win over the Ivory Coast in Toronto and send the DFB-Elf into the knockout stage after only two group matches. The result left Germany with eleven straight victories and one more step to go in the group.
That is why the match mattered today: the team had not reached the everything-or-nothing phase this early since 2006, and the next match against Ecuador can still lock up first place with a draw. Germany did it in front of 43.036 spectators, and the winner came after Frank Kessié had put the Ivory Coast ahead in the 30th minute.
Germany’s response carried more weight than the score line. Undav finished the comeback, but the win also protected a long run that now stretches to 11 in a row and kept the group picture clean enough for Germany to control its own path. A draw is enough next, which is the sort of position teams usually chase rather than earn before the final group game.
There was, though, a concern inside the celebration. Nico Schlotterbeck left at halftime with a left-leg injury, and Antonio Rüdiger came on in his place. That is the kind of detail that can matter more than a late winner once the bracket tightens, especially with a place in the next round already secured and the tournament picture still not fully settled.
Germany had started with the same eleven that opened against Curaçao, including Leroy Sané, and Joshua Kimmich again helped drive the attack with a cross that nearly found Kai Havertz. Yahia Fofana kept out efforts from Havertz, Jamal Musiala and Felix Nmecha before Undav settled it at the end. For now, Germany has the result it needed and a clear target next: avoid defeat against Ecuador and first place is theirs.
