In Group E, Germany came from behind to beat Ivory Coast 2-1 and advance to the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals tournament.
Published June 20, 2026
Germany made a thrilling comeback to defeat Ivory Coast 2-1 in Group E of the World Cup, with Deniz Undav scoring twice off the bench and sealing their place in the knockout stages for the first time since winning the title in 2014.
After having two goals ruled out in the first half on Saturday, Germany remained focused and used complex passing to try to take the lead, while the West Africans played dynamic attacking football in the Group E clash.
Recommended stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
Undav equalized in the 68th minute with a controlled volley, received a pass on the turn and fired again, before spinning and firing the ball home, which Yahia Fofana was unable to stop.
The versatile striker has scored nine goals in his last eight games.
Ivory Coast had a chance late on through Simon Adingra, but he failed to get a shot inside the area, before Germany counterattacked inside the field and Nathaniel Brown’s low shot was blocked by Fofana.
Ivory Coast took the lead in the first half when Franck Keshi converted the rebound of Amad Diallo’s shot after Yann Diomande charged from the left and delivered a cross.
Toronto is home to more than 100,000 people of German ancestry, and coach Julian Nagelsmann’s team had plenty of support, but they were a frustrated bunch at the interval, with just eight shots on goal and nothing to show for it.
Germany appeared to take the lead in the 25th minute when midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic stepped up to meet a short corner, but was deemed to have committed a foul on Fofana.
The decision left Pavlovic with his hands above his head in disbelief, while Fofana was in the spotlight after the collision and the partisan German crowd made no secret of their disdain for the referee’s call.
Moments later, Ivory Coast finally broke through with a goal from Kessier. The West Africans scored in the final seven games of the tournament, making it the longest such streak on the world stage in history.
Germany once again put the ball into the back of the net, but the celebrations were cut short when Jamal Musiala ruled that the referee had fouled Odilon Kosounou in the build-up.
Germany lead Group E with six points and advance to the last 32, while Ivory Coast remain in third place after two games. Ecuador and Curacao will meet in Kansas City later Saturday.
Germany concludes the group stage against Ecuador in New Jersey on Thursday, while Ivory Coast will play Curaçao in Philadelphia.
