Super sub Deniz Undav becomes hero as Germany beat Ivory Coast 2-1 in thriller

Brief Scores: Germany 2 (Undav 68′, 90+4′) – 1 Ivory Coast (Kessie 30′)

Deniz Undav made himself the hero for Germany as they edged past Ivory Coast in Toronto to get closer to qualification for the next round. Undav scored twice in the second half, with the winner coming in the fourth minute of stoppage time as he took his tally for the tournament to three.

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Ivory Coast were edging closer to a well-deserved point after Franck Kessie put them ahead in the 29th minute, but were left to rue their chances in the end. German coach Julian Nagelsmann pulled off a masterstroke with his second half substitutes as Nadiem Amiri and Undav combined to hand the win in the end.

Germany were looking to continue their goalscoring form in the tournament, having dispatched Curacao 7-1 in the opening fixture and almost went ahead in the second minute as Kai Havertz sent the ball above the goal.

It was the four-time World Cup winners that was applying the early pressure, with Ivory Coast happy to sit back and try and hit on the counter. Havertz had a chance in the ninth minute with a header, but his effort was saved by Fofana. By this time, Schlotterbeck started to feel the effects of a knock as Ivory Coast started to create some runs into the box.

However, Germany looked the side that seemed likely to score the opener and thought they were ahead when Pavlovic forced a mistake from Yaya Fofana from a corner in the 21st minute. But the referee ruled it out, calling it a foul on the Ivory Coast goalkeeper.

Ivory Coast started well after the hydration break and took the shock lead in the 29th minute through Kessie. Yan Diomonde troubled the German defenders on the left and delivered a low pass to Amad Diallo. The Manchester United’s shot was blocked, but Kessie was there to pounce on the rebound and slot it home.

Germany looked for a quick way back into the contest, but once again had a goal ruled out. Kossounou was brought down on the edge of his own penalty area by Musiala, but referee Benitez initially allowed play to continue. Havertz went on to find the back of the net before the referee blew his whistle, leaving the decision to VAR in case he had missed anything.

Replays, however, confirmed that Musiala had committed the foul on Kossounou, and the goal was ruled out as play resumed from the free-kick.

Ivory Coast created a few chances of their own with Bonny’s curler going straight into the hands of Neuer. However, it was the African side that held the lead going into the break.

NAGELSMANN’S SUBS CHANGE THE GAME

After the restart, Ivory Coast looked more energetic and lively and had two big chances to go with it. First, Kessie’s shot from inside the box went wide, and then Oulai almost had a similar chance, only for it go over the top.

Germany needed to make some changes and they decided to bring in Undav, Amiri and Jamie Leweling into the game in the 60th minute. Germany started to kick into another gear and Havertz came close once again in the 63rd minute as Fofana failed to collect a cross from Kimmich.

Just before the hydration break, Germany got their leveller. Substitutes Amiri and Undav combined as the latter finished off a fine cross into the box to make it 1-1. This completed an interesting stat for Undav as he became the second player with the most impact in World Cups with four after coming on as a substitute.

Ivory Coast made a triple change of their own as Guessand, Seko Fofana and Simon Adingra were summoned in. Things remained cagey and Diomonde was also taken off for Nicolas Pepe as Ivory Coast pushed for a winner themselves.

In the 88th minute, Adingra had a golden chance but failed to pull the trigger. Pepe set him up well with a fine pass, which deserved to have a first time strike to finish it off. But Adingra took a touch too many and Germany cleared their lines.

The four-time champions had a couple more attempts in but never gave up and it was Undav who sealed the deal. Nmecha picked out Undav with a perfectly weighted through ball after spotting him in space inside the penalty area. The substitute took a touch before calmly firing his effort past an unsuspecting Fofana, seemingly putting the result beyond Ivory Coast’s reach.

GERMANY END GROUP STAGE JINX

In the last two editions, Germany failed to make it to the knockout phase. Nagelsmann and Undav have now ensured that the four-time champions will be there to play the knockouts and ease some pressure off before their final game against Ecuador.

Undav also raised his hand for a starting position in that contest. The Stuttgart man now has eight goals and four assists in 11 matches for Germany and could be an option for them in the contest against Ecuador.

For the Ivory Coast, a win against Curacao could be enough for them to seal a spot to the next round, but will need to improve their scoring efficency. This was an issue in their win against Ecuador, and now they don’t have space for complacency.

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