News (engl.)

Germany made it two wins from two in Group E at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico with a 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast in Toronto. After trailing at half time, Deniz Undav’s brace turned the game on its head. Julian Nagelsmann’s side now top the group with six points to their name, having already secured their place in the tournament round of 32. Read all the match reaction:

Julian Nagelsmann: We needed a few minutes to find our feet in the game. We then had a good spell, only to concede after losing the ball in a situation that had looked under control. We responded well, though. I’m very proud of the players who came on. Every single one of them did an excellent job. Deniz scored two outstanding goals. He is a born goalscorer and finished both chances instinctively. He knows where the goal is, and the winner was incredible. It was an emotional one. Every player could sense how important they are for us today – the whole team earned that victory. The contest became very open towards the end, but that’s normal, because we wanted to win. The next step is to beat Ecuador and then deal with each challenge as it comes.

Deniz Undav: We improved after conceding and applied more pressure in the second half. When I came on, I knew I had to make the most of any chances off the bat. We certainly enjoyed a slice of fortune as well. A lot is falling my way at the moment. I’m trying to keep this run going and to enjoy it. The team and the coaching staff are making things very easy for me right now, and that gives me confidence heading into the coming fixtures.

Nadiem Amiri: We showed tremendous character as a collective. The togetherness in this squad is outstanding. We fight for one another, and that’s why we were able to turn the game around. We can be very proud of that performance. It will do our confidence a great deal of good.

Jonathan Tah: We showed a winning mentality and real team spirit. We knew they would tire eventually, so we just kept going.

Emerse Faé, Ivory Coast head coach: It was a high-quality game with top spot in the group on the line. We went 1-0 up and started the second half strongly but failed to score a second goal, either to make it 2-0 or to retake the lead at 2-1. We played well, but fine margins decided the game. We are still lacking a little experience in that regard. When you play against the top teams, there is always a chance you will concede.