Under a clear Toronto sky in perfect weather conditions, Germany persevered and scored a stoppage time winner, coming from behind to win 2-1 against the Ivory Coast and sealing its place in the Round of 32.
The hero? Deniz Undav, as the substitute, made all the difference with a tremendous brace.
The four-time World Cup champion and eight-time finalist had a very difficult afternoon against a steel-minded
African side, who opened the scoring first thanks to Franck Kessié due to some magic from Yan Diomande. But thanks to a great brace by the substitute Deniz Undav, whose instincts proved to be extremely important, Die Mannschaft made it to the knockout stages for the first time since 2014 – the last time the team won it all.
It must be noted that it also now won its 11th straight match in all competitions. Here are my takeaways:
(Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann, wearing an oversized black tee and looking like he had just came out of an underground art gallery in Williamsburg, made some key decisions in the second half that worked to perfection.
Deniz Undav, who plays for Stuttgart, was the key as he replaced Jamal Musiala in the 60th minute and offered a more direct, poaching threat. His first goal came thanks to a cross from Nadiem Amiri’s cross, who also came in as a substitute.
Against a strong defensive unit like the Ivory Coast, Nagelsmann knew that eventually, the depth of his squad would offer something different against the tired legs of their opponents, and he was right.
(Photo by Tom Weller/picture alliance via Getty Images)
It’s absolutely not surprising to me that the 19-year-old star – who plays his club football for RB Leipzig in the German Bundesliga – is such a wanted man by many clubs, with Liverpool reportedly leading the race. It’s also not shocking to hear that Leipzig is demanding more than €100 million for his transfer.
Diomande is a bolt of lightning, and similar to former Anfield star Luis Díaz in the sense that his ability to penetrate forward is so unpredictable. So again, I can see why Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool wants him so badly.
Against Germany, in the first half, he was so good that Nagelsmann had to move Kimmich to the left fullback role until the break in order to see what he had to do to figure him out. It was Diomande’s cross that eventually ended with Kessié for the opener.
In the second half, there was less time for him to operate as he now had two players that closed in on him, but once Diallo was substituted, Diomande moved to the right and became more of a threat again. He was quieter, but there is no doubt this is a star in the making.
Germany will win the group with a point in the last match against Ecuador on Thursday. Ivory Coast’s next match will be massive as it takes on Curaçao with the hope of sealing a spot in the knockout stages.
