The German machines trample the Ivorian elephants with a deadly goal in the last moments and win 2-1

The German national team turned the tables on its rival, Côte d’Ivoire, defeating it 2-1, this morning, in the second round of Group E of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is being held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The Ivorian national team did not take advantage of its lead with a goal scored by team captain Franck Kesé in the 30th minute.

Rather, Deniz Undav came off the bench in the 60th minute, scoring two goals for his country in the 68th and 94th minutes, earning the Germans three valuable points.

The Germans achieved the full score with six points after a sweeping victory over Curacao with a score of 7/1 in the first round, ensuring that they passed the group stage for the first time since winning the 2014 World Cup title in Brazil, which was followed by an early exit from the first round in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

The German national team will conclude its campaign in the group stage by facing Ecuador, while the Côte d’Ivoire national team, which won 1-0 over Ecuador, will have to secure its qualification to the second round when it faces Curacao in the third round.

The German team did not take advantage of its advantage and danger in the first 20 minutes, as it threatened its opponent’s goal with two dangerous chances. The first was a cross from Joshua Kimmich, which Kai Havertz met with a powerful header that was blocked by Ivorian goalkeeper Yaya Fofana. After that, Jamal Musiala shot a dangerous ball near the post, and before that, Cavertz shot a ball over the crossbar.

The German scored a goal from a corner kick, as the ball fell from Fofana’s hand, but the referee ruled a violation against Aleksandar Pavlovic.

On the other hand, the Elephants gradually entered the atmosphere of the match, and left a quick mark when Yann Diomande quickly passed Kimmich, and played a cross ball that was met by Amad Diallo with a shot into the body of the German defense, before Kessé completed it past the veteran goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer, giving the Ivorian team the lead with a goal against the run of play in the 30th minute.

Neuer saved his net from conceding a second goal after blocking an opportunity from Ange-Yoann Bony in the 38th minute. A few seconds later, Havertz scored a goal after a pass from Florian Wirtz, but the referee ruled a violation against Musiala while building the attack, while Wirtz missed the last German attempt by shooting into the arms of the Ivorian goalkeeper in stoppage time.

The scenario changed at the start of the second half, which began with more dangerous attempts from the Ivorian side, as Enai Olay and Kessié missed two chances in the first ten minutes, other than a stray shot from Diomande, while the German team focused on corner kicks, but to no avail except for a header from Havertz outside the goal after a corner kick from Kimmich.

The 60th minute was a significant turning point in the course of the match, when Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann decided to use substitutes Nadeem Amiri and Deniz Ondav in place of Pavlovic and Musiala.

Eight minutes later, Amiri passed a cross from the right side deep into the Ivorian defence, and Ondaf met it with his foot directly into the net, giving the Germans a perfectly timed equalizer, and Nagelsmann reaped the benefits of his substitutions, as Ondaf’s mark increased to 4 scoring contributions, with two goals and two assists in the 2026 World Cup.

On the other hand, Cote d’Ivoire coach Emers Fay did not benefit from the three substitutes, Simon Adingra, Sekou Fofana and Ivan Gissand. Rather, he resorted more to defensive caution in the face of the ferocious German attack, leaving himself to dangerous German attempts by Undaf, Amiri and Nathaniel Brown.

The referee counted six minutes of stoppage time, during which the Germans snatched victory with a second goal by the golden substitute, Undaf, with a left-footed shot from inside the penalty area after a perfect through ball from Felix Nemecha. The Ivorian team paid a heavy price for the recklessness of translating chances during a crucial time in the match, and lost the opportunity for early qualification.