Germanyvs
Ivory CoastFor 67 minutes at BMO Field, Ivory Coast looked like they might pull off the upset of the tournament's opening weeks. Then Deniz Undav happened — twice.
Germany came in unbeaten, our pre-match read had them as 65% favorites, and they played like a team that expected to win. Fifty-nine percent of the ball, 622 passes at 90% accuracy, eight corners. The control was real. The finishing, for most of the night, was not.
Kessié Turns the Game on Its Head
Ivory Coast had other ideas. In the 30th minute, Franck Kessié — composed, unhurried — put the Elephants ahead against the run of play. It was a gut-punch goal, the kind that resets a match entirely. Germany had the numbers but suddenly had a problem: a team that had won four straight wasn't flinching.
Germany pressed. Sixteen shots on the night, seven on target, five saves from the Ivory Coast keeper. The Elephants were defending with discipline and pace on the counter, and for long stretches it felt like Germany's night was slipping away.
Undav Levels, Then Wins It Late
The equalizer finally came in the 68th minute. Nadiem Amiri found Deniz Undav, and the finish was clean — 1-1, and the pressure Germany had been generating all night finally had something to show for it.
But Ivory Coast didn't fold. They held their shape, stayed compact, and with the clock winding down it looked like a draw was the most likely ending. ¡Ala gran púchica! — what a time for Undav to find another one.
Deep into stoppage time, the 90th minute plus four, Felix Nmecha set him up and Undav buried it. Match over. Germany 2, Ivory Coast 1.
El chispudo de Undav, arriving exactly when Germany needed it most.
By the Numbers
- Possession: Germany 59.4%, Ivory Coast 40.6%
- Shots / on target: Germany 16/7, Ivory Coast 9/2
- Saves: Germany 1, Ivory Coast 5
- Passes: Germany 622, Ivory Coast 431
Those five saves tell the real story of Ivory Coast's night. They were outplayed across most of the pitch and still nearly held on.
Verdict
Germany will feel relieved more than satisfied. They had enough of the ball to win comfortably and instead needed a stoppage-time goal to do it. The performance wasn't convincing enough to worry anyone who faces them next, but Undav now has two goals in this match and looks like a player ready for a big tournament.
Ivory Coast, meanwhile, will feel the sting of this one for a while. They were 22 minutes from a result that would have shaken up the group. The question now is whether they have enough to recover — they came into this with four wins on the bounce, and the character was evident. They aren't done.
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