Ivory Coast was on the verge of fulfilling its dream of defeating the proud German team, but the European side rediscovered some of the champion DNA that had carried it through when its soccer wasn’t at its best, and with a goal in stoppage time, it emerged victorious with a 2-1 score in Toronto.
With this result, Germany has one foot in the Round of 32, having secured six points in its group, with its match against Ecuador on Thursday, the 25th, still to be played, while Ivory Coast appears poised to take all three points against Curaçao.
The Elephants took the lead through Franck Kressie, who pounced on a save by Thomas Neuer in the box and simply had to blast the ball past the German goalkeeper. It was the 30th minute of the first half, and that’s how the teams went into halftime.
But then came the moment for Stuttgart forward Deniz Undav. First, in the 64th minute, he made his mark with the equalizer. In the 88th minute, after the Ivory Coast missed a clear chance to score the winning goal, Undav received a pass, found himself alone in front of the goalkeeper, and took advantage of a lapse in the Ivorian defense when a defender left him unmarked.
Undav finished coolly to give Germany the win amid an explosion of jubilation from the fans cheering for the Germans in Toronto.
