A true battle unfolded at a festive Toronto stadium on Saturday as Côte d’Ivoire and Germany delivered a high-intensity contest. The two sides exchanged blows, but it was Germany who secured their second win in two matches right at the death, thanks to a strike from Deniz Undav—who had earlier equalised—making it 2-1 in the 90th+4 minute. The Ivorians will rue missed chances on the counter, notably Simon Adingra’s one-on-one with Neuer in the 88th minute. Either team could have taken the lead, but the depth of the bench proved decisive.
Germany had to dig deep just to level the scores. Undav converted from close range inside the box after a pass from fellow substitute Nadiem Amiri in the 68th minute. It was a tough afternoon for Julian Nagelsmann’s men, who booked their place in the round of 16 and are now well placed to top the group, thanks to a surprisingly resilient Ivorian side.
The Elephants took the lead through captain Franck Kessié, who met a cross from Yan Diomandé after Amad Diallo’s deflected effort (30th minute). Côte d’Ivoire had capitalised on a well-managed cooling break in 20-degree heat, but from the first whistle every collision set the tone for the contest.
Singo forced off injured late on
Ivorian goalkeeper Yahia Fofana had earlier made a superb save from a close-range Kai Havertz header off Joshua Kimmich’s cross (10th minute), and Odilon Kossounou deflected a Felix Nmecha shot just over the bar (21st minute). Germany had to be wary of losing possession, which Côte d’Ivoire frequently turned into dangerous attacks. With Ange-Yoan Bonny a powerful presence up front, Emerse Faé’s side built counters down the flanks, Yan Diomandé often imprecise but always threatening—as he proved on the goal.
Faé had clearly studied the opposition well, closing down central areas and packing the midfield with bodies. But his team needed to hold on for a few more minutes. As the game wore on, maintaining that concentration and physical intensity became harder, requiring immense effort in recovery and repositioning. Germany, however, must have been surprised by the resistance and athletic power of players like Wilfried Singo, whose positioning was occasionally questionable but whose strength allowed him to recover. His late injury exit in the 80th minute hurt his side.
Despite a promising start to the second half with two missed chances on well-executed breaks (Oulaï in the 51st minute, Diomandé in the 56th), the Elephants were forced to drop deeper to defend their lead—before finally conceding late on. Both teams displayed quality, physical resources and mental resilience that will serve them well in the rest of the tournament. It is hard to see Côte d’Ivoire failing to qualify against Curaçao.
