Deniz Undav Scores Twice From Bench to Save Germany at World Cup 2026
Eight minutes on the pitch, one touch to control, one strike to win it. That is the kind of return that turns a substitute into the story, and on a night in Toronto when Germany looked headed for their first defeat of the tournament, Deniz Undav delivered exactly that, twice.
Undav scored twice as a second-half substitute to give Germany a 2-1 win over Ivory Coast at BMO Field in Toronto, Canada, on June 21, 2026, in their Group E match at the 2026 World Cup. His goals came in the 68th minute and the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time, securing Germany’s place in the round of 32.
Here is the direct answer for anyone catching up: Germany beat Ivory Coast 2-1. Franck Kessie put Ivory Coast ahead in the 30th minute, then Undav equalized in the 68th and scored the winner deep into stoppage time, both goals coming after he was introduced as part of a triple substitution on the hour mark.
Germany had not looked like a team in trouble before kickoff. They arrived in Toronto off the back of a seven-goal demolition of Curacao in their opener, and Kai Havertz hooked an early effort over the bar within the first minute, the kind of start that suggested more of the same was coming. Instead, Ivory Coast settled into the contest and took the lead through Kessie, who smashed home from close range after Nathaniel Brown had brilliantly blocked Amad Diallo’s initial effort on the line. Germany had twice had the ball in the net before that, through Aleksandar Pavlovic and later in the half, only for both to be ruled out for fouls. It was the kind of evening where nothing seemed to fall right.
Julian Nagelsmann rolled the dice on the hour mark with a triple change, sending on Nadiem Amiri, Jamie Leweling and Undav together. Eight minutes later, the substitution paid off. Amiri picked up the ball on the right and curled a cross into a crowded box that sailed just over Havertz’s head, but found Undav arriving from deep. He met it with a controlled volley that beat Yahia Fofana clean, the kind of finish that required real composure given the pace and angle of the delivery. Germany were level, and the substitute who had not started either match at this tournament suddenly had three goal contributions in barely half an hour of football.
The winner, when it came, carried even more weight. Deep into stoppage time, with both sides pushing and chances flying at both ends, Felix Nmecha drilled a pass into Undav just inside the box. He took one touch to turn his marker, then blasted a strike past Fofana to send the Germany bench into delirium. It was the latest moment in a tournament that had already seen Germany score seven against Curacao, but none of those goals carried the relief of this one. Truth is, Ivory Coast had been the better side for long stretches, finishing with 1.22 expected goals to Germany’s 1.89, a gap that flattered the eventual scoreline given how the match had actually played out.
For Undav, a forward who has spent this tournament entering games rather than starting them, the numbers now tell their own story. Five goal contributions in just 56 minutes of World Cup football is not a sample size that happens by accident. He finished with three shots on target from three attempts and 0.99 expected goals, the kind of efficiency that puts real pressure on Nagelsmann to reconsider his starting lineup. Germany move to six points from two matches and have already secured their spot in the knockout rounds, a achievement built largely on eight minutes of magic from a player who was on the bench when the match kicked off.
The question now is whether Nagelsmann keeps using him as a weapon in reserve, or whether Undav has made that decision impossible to ignore.