Deniz Undav comes off the bench to lift Germany over Ivory Coast

Germany survived a tough World Cup match against Ivory Coast overnight Saturday into Sunday, winning 2-1 after needing a late hero off the bench to secure a place in the next round. After Germany’s 7-1 opening victory over Curacao, the decisive figure this time was Stuttgart striker Deniz Undav.

Undav entered in the 60th minute and made an immediate impact, scoring eight minutes later to level or swing the game before completing the comeback in the 94th minute. It was his second international brace and a standout performance in a tournament where he has been a major scoring threat for Germany.

The 2026 World Cup article noted that Undav has now scored nine goals in 11 appearances for Germany, in 427 total minutes, and added four assists. That means he has been involved in 13 Germany goals, averaging a direct contribution once every little more than 32 minutes. In the tournament itself, he has three goals and two assists in just 60 minutes, a goal involvement every 12 minutes.

German media praised him as “the perfect joker” and “the ideal substitute,” saying he started the move for his first goal himself, timed his run correctly and finished with a sharp volley. Former Nigeria international Efan Ekoku said Undav was the only player who could consistently break away from the opposing defense and added that he has “a striker’s instincts.” Germany has scored nine goals so far in the tournament, six of them by substitutes, more than any other team.