TORONTO — Deniz Undav came off the bench to score two second-half goals and turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 win that sent Germany safely into the World Cup knockout rounds, according to the match report.
Undav now has nine goals in 11 caps for Germany and is tied as the tournament’s top scorer with three goals alongside Lionel Messi and Jonathan David; remarkably, all of his World Cup strikes have come after he was introduced as a substitute, the report said. The 29-year-old forward enjoyed a productive club season with Stuttgart, finishing with 25 goals and 14 assists in 46 appearances, including 19 goals and six assists in 29 Bundesliga matches.
Manager Julian Nagelsmann made three changes on the hour mark, replacing Leroy Sané, Jamal Musiala and Aleksandar Pavlovic with Undav, Nadiem Amiri and Jamie Leweling. Eight minutes after coming on, Undav volleyed an Amiri cross past goalkeeper Yahia Fofana, and he added the decisive strike in the final minute of stoppage time, turning on the edge of the box and firing beyond Fofana, the match report said.
Germany had fallen behind in the first half to a thunderous finish by Franck Kessié and struggled to impose themselves despite 60 percent possession. The report noted two goals were correctly disallowed for fouls by Pavlovic and Kai Havertz, and that the team’s 4-2-3-1 shape produced long spells of disappointing play before Nagelsmann shifted to a more attacking setup that removed a dedicated defensive midfielder.
The Ivory Coast, nicknamed the Elephants, posed persistent problems for Germany and arguably deserved a point, the report added. While Germany are not yet guaranteed top spot in Group E, the victory is a major step toward that goal ahead of next week’s match against Ecuador and marks the first time since the 2014 World Cup that Germany have safely progressed from the group stage.
