Germany became the latest nation to secure a place in the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup 2026, edging past a resilient Ivory Coast side in dramatic fashion. Julian Nagelsmann's men left it late, but a stoppage-time winner from Deniz Undav earned a hard-fought 2-1 victory and guaranteed qualification with a game to spare.

The opening stages were played at a measured tempo, with Germany gradually taking control of possession and territory. However, it was Ivory Coast who struck first. In the 30th minute, a dangerous delivery from the left flank caused problems inside the German penalty area, and the loose ball fell kindly to Franck Kessie, who calmly fired past Manuel Neuer to give the African side a surprise lead.

The goal stunned Germany, who struggled to find their rhythm before the break. Their only real moment of encouragement came when Kai Havertz found the back of the net, only for the effort to be ruled out following a foul in the build-up.

Ivory Coast continued to impress after halftime, defending with discipline while remaining a constant threat on the counter-attack. The German back line was repeatedly forced into last-ditch interventions as the Elephants looked capable of extending their advantage.

The turning point arrived in the 68th minute. Introduced from the bench, Deniz Undav made an immediate impact, meeting a cross from the right with a superb first-time volley to level the score at 1-1 and breathe new life into Germany's campaign.

The closing stages delivered end-to-end drama. Goalkeeper Yahia Fofana produced an excellent save to deny Tom Bischof Brown, while at the other end Simon Adingra squandered a golden opportunity after being picked out by Nicolas Pepe. As the match appeared destined to end in a draw, Germany found one final moment of quality.

Four minutes into stoppage time, Undav latched onto a perfectly weighted vertical pass inside the penalty area, spun away from his marker with impressive composure and rifled an unstoppable finish into the net.

The victory saw Germany finally overcome the notorious "second-match curse" that had haunted the Bundesmannschaft for two decades, with crucial points repeatedly dropped in the second group-stage fixture of major international tournaments.

World Cup 2026

Germany - Ivory Coast 2:1 (0:1)
Goals: Kessié, 30 (0:1); Undav, 68 (1:1); Undav, 94 (2:1)

Germany: Neuer; Brown; Tah J.; Schlotterbeck N. (Rudiger, 46); Pavlovic Al. (Amiri N., 60); Kimmich; Havertz (Goretzka, 85); Wirtz; Sane L. (Leweling, 60); Nmecha F.; Musiala (Undav, 60)
Substitution: Rudiger (from 46); Amiri N. (from 60); Leweling (from 60); Undav (from 60); Goretzka (from 85)
Bench: Baumann; Nübel; Anton; Groß; Ouedraogo; Stiller; Raum D.; Thiaw; Woltemade; Beier M.

Ivory Coast: Fofana Yahia; Singo; Konan (Doué G., 82); Kossounou; Agbadou; Sangaré I. (Fofana S., 75); Oulaï Inao; Kessié; Bonny (Guessand, 75); Diomande Y. (Pépé N., 85); Diallo (Adingra, 75)
Substitution: Fofana S. (from 75); Adingra (from 75); Guessand (from 75); Doué G. (from 82); Pépé N. (from 85)
Bench: Kone Moh.; Lafont; Diomande O.; Operi; Ndicka; Seri; Toure B-a; Guiagon; Diakité; Wahi