Read Bengali: FIFA World Cup: আইভরি কোস্টের বিরুদ্ধে রুদ্ধশ্বাস জয় জার্মানির

The hero of the night was Deniz Undav, who scored both goals for Germany. Yannick Kessié had earlier given Ivory Coast the lead, but the Germans showed their resilience to complete a thrilling comeback.

Germany started brightly and dominated possession from the opening minutes. Jamal Musiala came close to opening the scoring in the 18th minute with a powerful effort that narrowly missed the target. Three minutes later, Aleksandar Pavlovic thought he had put Germany ahead from a corner, but the goal was ruled out for a foul.

Despite Germany’s attacking pressure, Ivory Coast remained dangerous on the counterattack. Their breakthrough arrived in the 30th minute when Yannick Kessié finished clinically to put the West African side ahead against the run of play.

The goal stunned Germany, but Ivory Coast continued to threaten. Yohan Bony nearly doubled the advantage in the 38th minute, forcing veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer into an important save. At the other end, Kai Havertz found the net moments later, only for the effort to be disallowed for offside.

Germany increased the intensity after the break as they searched for an equaliser. Their persistence finally paid off in the 68th minute when Deniz Undav brilliantly outmaneuvered the Ivorian defence and slotted home to make it 1-1.

With both teams pushing for a winner, the match appeared destined for a draw. However, Germany had other plans.

After six minutes of stoppage time were added, the decisive moment arrived in the 94th minute. Kalu Nmecha delivered a perfectly weighted assist for Undav, who calmly finished to complete his brace and send the German fans into celebration.

The late strike sealed a hard-fought 2-1 victory and maintained Germany’s perfect record in the tournament so far. While the Germans moved a step closer to the knockout stages, Ivory Coast were left heartbroken after producing a brave performance that ultimately yielded no reward.

Nagelsmann’s men may have secured the three points, but the match also exposed areas they will need to improve as the competition enters its decisive phase.