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Germany secured their qualification for the next round of the 2026 World Cup this Saturday by overturning a 0-1 deficit to win 2-1 against Ivory Coast at , during the second match of Group E.
The African team surprised the Mannschaft with a goal from Franck Kessié in the 30th minute, who capitalized on a rebound after Dialot's miss in front of Neuer to put his team ahead. The breakthrough and the cross came from their 19-year-old star, Yan Diomande. With that score, the teams went into halftime, and Germany had to react.
The German response came from the bench. In the 46th minute, Antonio Rüdiger came on for Schlotterbeck, who was injured in the first half, and in the 60th minute, the coach made a triple substitution that changed the course of the match: Leweling for Sané, Amiri for Pavlovic, and Deniz Undav for Musiala.
It was precisely Undav who was responsible for resolving the match. The Stuttgart forward equalized in the 68th minute and, during stoppage time, scored his second goal in the 90th minute to complete the comeback with a final score of 2-1.
The statistics reflected German dominance throughout the match: 60% possession, 16 shots compared to nine, and seven shots on target against just two from Ivory Coast. The Africans posed little real danger after the break despite making four substitutions between the 75th and 85th minutes.
With this victory, with six points in two matches and a goal difference of +7, making it the first team mathematically qualified from the group. Ivory Coast remains in second place with three points.
Ecuador and Curacao, with zero points each, are facing a very difficult situation. Both teams will meet this Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City in a match that could be crucial for their chances of survival.
Germany will close out the group stage on June 25 against Ecuador at MetLife Stadium, while Ivory Coast will need to win against Curacao that same day to secure their advancement to the next round. The German thrashing of Curacao in the opening match —7-1 in Houston— already foreshadowed the strength of a team hungry for revenge after their group stage exits in Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022.
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