Germany never give up.. Undav leads the “Mannschaft” to a dramatic remontada against Ivory Coast
World Cup 2026: A late goal in stoppage time denied Ivory Coast a World Cup shock
Just when Ivory Coast were minutes away from producing one of the biggest shocks of the 2026 World Cup so far, Deniz Undav appeared to remind everyone why Germany remain one of the most feared teams in tournament history.
Germany came from behind to secure a thrilling 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast, thanks to a late brace from Undav, leading the “Mannschaft” to the Round of 32 and continuing a run that knows no surrender on the world’s biggest football stage.
An Ivorian dream that almost became reality
Ivory Coast entered the match with great courage, refusing to play the role of victims against a team that had demolished Curacao 7-0 in the first round.
From the opening minutes, it was clear that Emerse Faé’s men believed they could topple one of the tournament’s giants. Yan Diomandé and Amad Diallo imposed a quick tempo that unsettled the German defence, before the Ivorian superiority was translated into a deserved goal.
In the 30th minute, Franck Kessié capitalised on a rebound inside the penalty area to fire a shot into the German net, giving the “Elephants” a lead that ignited the stands and shook one of the tournament’s main contenders.
Germany hit the Ivorian wall
Germany found themselves facing a real test for the first time in the tournament.
Havertz found the net but the offside flag denied him the celebration, while Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz continued searching for a gap in the wall built by Yahia Fofana and his teammates.
As the second half began, Ivory Coast continued to manage the game with confidence, while signs of concern started to appear on the German bench.
Nagelsmann hits the red button
In the 60th minute, Julian Nagelsmann made the decision that changed everything.
Three substitutions at once completely transformed the match’s rhythm. Jamie Leweling gave Germany the required pace on the flanks, while Nadiem Amiri and Undav added vitality and decisiveness in the final third.
Just eight minutes later, the result changed. Leweling burst down the right flank and sent in a cross, with Undav appearing in the right place to slot the ball into the net and level the score.
From that moment, the match became entirely German.
Germany vs Ivory Coast match: the crazy minutes.. where heroes are born
The match took a dramatic turn in the final minutes. Fofana saved his goal from two certain strikes from Brown and Amiri, while Ivory Coast squandered the chance of a lifetime when Simon Adingra hesitated to shoot during a promising counter-attack.
That hesitation proved costly. In the fourth minute of stoppage time, Germany struck again. One final ball, one final attack, and Undav once more.
The German striker seized the perfect moment to fire the final bullet into the “Elephants” dreams, scoring the winning goal and announcing the arrival of one of the tournament’s emerging heroes.
A historic remontada and a new record for the Mannschaft over the Samba
Thanks to Undav’s brace and this comeback, Germany became the team with the most comeback wins in World Cup history, raising their tally to 16 such victories, surpassing Brazil’s 15.
The “Mannschaft” also continued their remarkable run with an 11th consecutive win in all competitions, closing in on equalling the best winning streak in their history.
Ivory Coast delivered one of their best performances in recent years, and were minutes away from writing a historic chapter, but they came up against the trait that has defined Germany’s greatness for decades.
ملخص مباراة ألمانيا وكوت ديفوار | دور المجموعات – كأس العالم FIFA 2026™#كأس_العالم2026 | #مونديال2026 | #كأس_العالم#beINWC26 | #FIFAWorldCup2026 | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/7oCQfwdqax
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) June 20, 2026
The ability to stay in the game until the very last moment.
While the “Elephants” left the pitch with deep regret despite their brave performance, Germany reinforced their established reputation: “Germany may stumble… they may fall behind… but they rarely fall.”
With this win, Germany reached the Round of 32 after securing their sixth point at the top of Group E, following their victory over Curacao a week earlier, while Ivory Coast had beaten Ecuador.
Group E standings
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Germany | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | +7 | 6 |
 Ivory Coast | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
 Ecuador | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
 Curacao | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | -6 | 0 |
