Today's Edition
(REUTERS)
Substitute Deniz Undav scored his second and third goals of the World Cup and Germany rallied to clinch a spot in the knockout phase with an enthralling 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast in Group E competition on Saturday in Toronto.
In the other Group E match on Saturday, Curacao found a comfort level in their second-ever World Cup match, playing against Ecuador.
After levelling in the 68th minute, Undav sealed all three points with a wonderful instinctive finish in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time to seal a return for Germany (2-0-0, 6 points) to the knockout round for the first time since they won their fourth World Cup in 2014. It was only the 29-year-old's fourth and fifth goals in a competitive international fixture after making his senior international debut in 2024.
Germany clinched the group with Ecuador and Curacao's draw on Saturday. They will face a third-place group finisher in the Round of 32 on June 29 in Foxborough, Massachusetts after the final group-stage match against Ecuador on June 25.
Undav's brace reversed Franck Kessie's first-half opener for Ivory Coast (1-1-0, 3 points), who are still in a strong position to advance to their first knockout phase in programme history.
But Les Elephants missed out on a golden opportunity, particularly after Simon Adingra failed to put an effort on target on a glorious 88th-minute opportunity, leaving the door open for Undav's heroics.
After Undav took a simple but exquisitely calm volley from Nadiem Amiri's cross to level the match, his winner was even better.
With his back to goal, he deftly settled Felix Nmecha's strong pass with his first touch, then spun his body and fired a lovely finish past Yahia Fofana with his second.
After earning Man of the Match honors in Ivory Coast's 1-0 opening win over Ecuador, 19-year-old Yan Diomande was the creative force behind Les Elephants' opening goal, beating Joshua Kimmich down to the byline on the left and driving in a menacing low cross.
Amad Diallo's initial effort was blocked by lunging defender Nathaniel Brown, but Kessie cleaned up the rebound with an instinctive low finish from close range.
Referee Juan Gabriel Benitez ruled out potential Germany goals on either side of Kessie's strike. He first spotted a foul on Aleksandar Pavlovic while winning a header over Fofana in the 23rd minute, then similarly ruled out Kai Havertz's finish for a 40th-minute foul by Jamal Musiala that led to the opportunity.
Ecuador-Curacao tie
Meanwhile, Curacao found a comfort level in their second-ever World Cup match, pulling off a 0-0 tie with Ecuador behind the play of goalkeeper Eloy Room to earn the country's first-ever point in a Group E match on Saturday night in Kansas City.
Room made 15 saves, just shy of the record 16 made by the United States' Tim Howard in a 2014 World Cup match against Belgium. The effort -- a World Cup record for a 90-minute match -- helped Curacao rebound from a 7-1 loss to Germany in their World Cup debut last Sunday.
At the final whistle, Room went to his knees, and the 37-year-old bowed his head onto the turf in relief.
Ecuador's disappointing World Cup run continued with a second consecutive scoreless match. They lost to Ivory Coast 1-0 on Sunday.
Neither team was officially eliminated from advancing to the knockout round, although they will each need a win on the final matchday to stay alive.
Ecuador (0-1-1, 1 point) has a daunting task ahead with a match against Germany on Thursday at East Rutherford, New Jersey. Curacao (0-1-1, 1 point) will complete their group-stage schedule with a simultaneous match against Ivory Coast at Philadelphia.
