Super-sub Undav fires Germany into World Cup last 16 with late double against Ivory Coast
Deniz Undav scored twice after coming off the bench as Germany came from behind to beat Ivory Coast 2-1 in Toronto, sealing a round-of-16 berth with a game to spare.
The match
Germany fell behind to a Franck Kessié strike in the 30th minute and struggled for rhythm at the BMO Stadium in Toronto. Head coach Julian Nagelsmann responded on the hour mark with a triple substitution, sending on Deniz Undav for Jamal Musiala. The switch changed the game.
Undav levelled in the 68th minute, timing his run to meet a Nadiem Amiri delivery, and then snatched the winner deep into stoppage time. The 2-1 victory, confirmed by Paraguayan referee Juan Gabriel Benitez's final whistle, sent Germany through to the knockout stage with one Group A fixture still to play.
Undav's impact
The VfB Stuttgart striker now has three goals and two assists in just 56 minutes of World Cup action. Against Ivory Coast he was named man of the match and later joked that the trophy would go "to the wife".
I'm just trying to do my job. The first ball I get, I have to use it straight away. That's what I did, and then we had the momentum on our side.
The joker debate
Nagelsmann was asked whether Undav's heroics force him to re-think his substitute role. The coach praised the striker's contribution while leaving his options open, saying it was "not out of the question" that Undav starts the final group game against Ecuador in East Rutherford.
That's great for him right now. You can't be much more of a decider at a World Cup than he is.
Echoes of 2014
TV pundit Mats Hummels drew a comparison with André Schürrle, who came off the bench to set up the winning goal in the 2014 World Cup final and scored seven times across that tournament, almost all as a substitute.
We could ask André Schürrle if he was happy in 2014. Seven goals, almost all off the bench, and a world champion title.
What comes next
Germany have now reached the knockout rounds after two group matches for the first time since the 2006 home tournament. The team will face Ecuador on Thursday night with top spot in the group at stake. Nagelsmann said he and his staff would discuss Undav's role with the player, weighing the risk of disrupting his flow against the obvious case for a starting place.
