Deniz Undav scored two goals off the bench as Germany pulled off a thrilling comeback to beat Ivory Coast 2-1 in their World Cup Group E match, securing their place in the knockout stage for the first time since they won the title in 2014.
After having two goals disallowed in the first half on Saturday, Germany did not lose focus and used intricate passing to find their way, while the West Africans produced their dynamic brand of attacking football in a wild Group E clash.
Undav levelled the score with a controlled, volleyed finish in the 68th minute and struck again when he received a pass on the turn, before swivelling and firing home a ball that Yahia Fofana had no chance at stopping.
The versatile striker now has nine goals in his last eight matches.
Simon Adingra had a late chance for Ivory Coast, but he failed to get a shot off in the area before Germany charged back down the field and Fofana blocked a low shot from Nathaniel Brown.
Ivory Coast had opened the scoring in the first half when Franck Kessie slotted home a rebound off a shot by Amad Diallo on a play created when Yan Diomande charged down the left side and sent in a cross.
With more than 100,000 people of German ancestry living in Toronto, Julian Nagelsmann’s men enjoyed plenty of support but were a frustrated group at the interval with nothing to show for their eight attempts on goal.
Germany looked to have opened the scoring when midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic rose to meet a short corner in the 25th minute but was deemed to have fouled Fofana in the process.
The ruling left Pavlovic with his hands atop his head in disbelief while Fofana received some attention after the collision, and the partisan German crowd made their disdain for the referee’s decision known.
Shortly after, it was Ivory Coast who finally broke through with Kessie’s goal. The West Africans have scored in their last seven matches at the tournament – the longest such sequence on the global stage in their history.
Germany once again put the ball in the back of the net, but their celebrations were cut short as the referee determined that Jamal Musiala had fouled Odilon Kossounou in the buildup.
Germany top Group E with six points and are through to the last 32, while Ivory Coast remain on three after two matches. Ecuador and Curacao meet in Kansas City later on Saturday.
Germany will close out the group stage against Ecuador on Thursday in New Jersey, while Ivory Coast face Curacao in Philadelphia.
The duels took place inside the hexagonal cage of a modern mixed martial arts arena (Valentine CHAPUIS)
A French town on Saturday hosted a special event inside a hexagonal cage normally used for mixed martial arts: duels between fully armoured warriors wielding medieval weapons.
Fighters used swords and axes to battle it out in 20 combats at Onet-le-Chateau in the Aveyron region of southern France.
The local council described the fights as the modern-day equivalent of "what was effectively the mixed martial arts of the Middle Ages".
While most of the action involved men from France, Poland and Britain, some women fighters were also on the bill.
The fights were held in a local club that organises this kind of armoured combat, known as behourd.
Organisers say it includes not just weapons combat but wrestling, ground work and strikes with the fists, feet, elbows, knees, the head and the shield.
"The word 'behourd' comes from Old French," said Clement Carsac, president of the local club.
"It was a recreational activity practised by men in the Middle Ages, It’s where history and combat sports meet."
The fights were preceded by weighing-in sessions, because behourd is divided into weight classes, like boxing or judo.
The combatants then put on their armour and helmet, which can weigh up to six kilos (13 pounds).
It is a rather expensive activity: "A full kit costs between 3,000 and 4,000 euros," said to Carsac -- $3,450 to $4,600.
Clifford Lee crowned an extraordinary comeback from a serious motorbike accident to ride Venetian Sun to victory in the Commonwealth Cup (Henry Nicholls)
Last October jockey Clifford Lee came within a "millimetre" of dying when he broke a vertebra in a motorbike crash -- on Friday he rode Venetian Sun to victory in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot.
The 30-year-old Englishman was out of action for five-and-a-half months after the accident with the surgeon saying "he was within less than a millimetre of killing himself".
Lee gave Venetian Sun a fine ride in the Group One race, a year to the day that the filly owned by Premier League side Brighton's owner Tony Bloom won the Albany Stakes at the meeting.
"It is fantastic," said Lee.
"I had five and a half months off as I broke my C1, but I feel I have come back stronger and better.
"It helps riding good horses.
"It was very hard as it took me a long time to actually get back fit.
"It is great to be back."
Aidan O'Brien was to win the other Group One race on the card, racking up Royal Ascot win number 101, as his star filly Precise made it six wins from eight races in the Group One Coronation Stakes.
For jockey Ryan Moore it was his 97th Royal Ascot triumph.
As for O'Brien it was doubly pleasurable as he bred the winner -- and also a perfect day for the horse's part owner Michael Tabor to make his first appearance of the week.
"I have been nursing a heavy cold from the Derby and at my age it takes longer to get over it," said Tabor.
"There is one happy breeder but he is very shy," joked Tabor as O'Brien stood beside him.
- 'Here baby' -
O'Brien as ever had been very reluctant to talk himself up after he brought up the 100 on Thursday, paying tribute to the team.
"Aidan is very much his own man and as he says quite rightly it is a team game," said Tabor.
"Like in business if you do not have the right people round you it falls flat but he has a great team, he is good at delegating and he is the leader of that team."
O'Brien moved to six winners for the week when Causeway won the King Edward VII Stakes.
He will, though, face a battle royal with his eldest son Joseph on the final day as to who emerges as leading trainer for the week.
Joseph moved on to five when the 33-year-old's Green Carrera won the Sandringham Stakes.
Jockey Billy Loughnane and trainer George Boughey will hope Libertango goes on to repeat Venetian Sun's success as they teamed up to win the Albany Stakes.
Loughnane, 20, came from the clouds weaving his way through the 25 runner field to overhaul favourite Sun Goddess and record the fifth Royal Ascot winner of his career.
Boughey, who teamed up with the man he calls his "younger brother" Loughnane to win the feature race on Tuesday the St James's Palace Stakes, admitted it had not been "pretty" to watch.
He was, though, delighted Turkish owner Ibrahim Araci's determination to buy the horse in April had been rewarded so quickly.
"He was pretty bold, Mr Araci -– he wanted to get the horse and he had to pay for it (£400,000, $530,000)," said Boughey.
Three years ago William Haggas trained a winner for Britain's King Charles III at the meeting, however, on Friday he denied the monarch his first victory of the week.
James McDonald on the Haggas-trained Opportunity -- owned by the Emir of Qatar's Wathnan Racing -- seized his and ran down the King's Warrant Holder to win the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes.
"The King and Queen will have more chances, probably more than I will," said crack New Zealand jockey James McDonald.
"I am here baby and enjoying it," added the 34-year-old.
Who: Germany vs Ivory Coast What: FIFA World Cup 2026 Group E match Where: Toronto Stadium, Toronto, Canada When: Saturday, 4pm (20:00 GMT) How to follow: Keep up with all updates on Al Jazeera Sport
One of the most mouthwatering matches in the second round of games in the World Cup 2026 group stage sees four-time champions Germany facing a talented Ivory Coast outfit in Toronto on Saturday evening.
Kai Havertz has scored in four straight major tournaments for Germany, despite not being a recognised No 9 [Annegret Hilse/Reuters]
Germany under the radar?
After disappointing group-stage exits in 2018 and 2022, Germany came into this tournament somewhat under the radar, with the perennial powerhouse ranked only seventh-favourites to lift their fifth World Cup.
While they turned on the style thanks to young stars like Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz to pile on the goals against Curacao – the smallest nation by size and population ever to have taken part in a World Cup – and the goals have flowed in 10 straight wins, this will be a far stiffer test.
Curacao caused the German defence a few problems, especially in the opening half-hour, and it’s their pivotal central-defensive pairing of Jonathan Tah and Nico Schlotterbeck, playing in front of 40-year-old keeper Manuel Neuer, that will ultimately decide how deep the Germans can go in this tournament.
Dynamic Arsenal attacking midfielder Kai Havertz continued his recent goalscoring run for club and country with a double for Germany in the opening game, but he will likely find the Ivory Coast defence a harder challenge than that posed by Curacao’s backline.
By winning their group opener, Germany did what they couldn’t in 2018 and 2022 and appear certain to progress to a first knockout match since the 2014 World Cup Final. Whether they advance as group winners, or limp through in the minor places, might well come down to the result in Toronto.
A win against Ivory Coast would secure direct top-two qualification to the Round of 32 and would likely be enough to top Group E should Ecuador fail to beat Curacao four hours later in Kansas City.
In an alternate scenario, even with a German victory against Ivory Coast, Ecuador – if they can beat both Curacao and then the Germans in Thursday’s group finale – would make things very interesting, with the potential for three teams – Germany, Ivory Coast and Ecuador – to be locked on six points and tiebreakers needed to separate them.
It matters because the team finishing first will play a third-placed qualifier, while the runner-up will face the team finishing second in the group featuring France, Norway, Senegal and Iraq, and the team qualifying third would face a group winner, potentially England or Mexico.
The Elephants might have ridden their luck, but ending Ecuador’s 19-match unbeaten streak across nearly two years in their opening game caught the eye of their fan base and will have raised expectations.
Amad Diallo’s last-minute winner ensured Ivory Coast have now won a game at all four World Cups for which they have qualified, and they can reach the knockout stages for the first time, if they defeat Germany.
In fact, they can seal top spot in Group E should they beat Die Mannschaft and Ecuador fail to beat Curacao in the other group game later on Saturday evening.
A draw against Germany would make for an intriguing group finale on Thursday night, as it would likely leave all three teams in with a chance of finishing first going into the final game, with Ivory Coast potentially needing to beat Curacao by more than six goals to ensure supremacy on goal difference.
How does the group stage work?
Germany, Ivory Coast, Ecuador and Curacao are in Group E.
They will play each other once in the initial stage of the tournament. The top two teams from each of the 12 groups – along with the eight best third-placed teams – will proceed to the next phase, the round of 32, which has been introduced at the World Cup for the first time.
Head-to-head
This will be just the second meeting between Germany and Ivory Coast.
The previous game was a friendly in November 2009, which saw Lukas Podolski score twice, including a last-gasp equaliser in a 2-2 draw.
Form guide:
(Last five games, latest match first)
Germany: W-W-W-W-W
Ivory Coast: W-W-W-W-L
Germany’s thumping win over Curacao last Sunday means they have won 10 straight games going back to September 2025 and have scored two or more goals in nine of those matches.
They have, however, struggled at the opposite end of the pitch, conceding goals in seven straight World Cup matches, their longest run since 1970, and their last clean sheet came in the 2014 final against Argentina in Brazil.
Ivory Coast go in search of a fifth straight victory, and confidence is high after both the Ecuador triumph last Sunday, which followed their 2-1 win against world number-three France in their final warm-up game in Paris on June 4.
Their last defeat came in the AFCON quarterfinal against Egypt in January.
5 - Last night for @equipenatciv vs Ecuador, Yan Diomande became the first player Opta has on record since 1966 to create 5+ chances (5), make 5+ tackles (5), win 10+ duels (11) and have 10+ touches in the opposition’s box (12) in a FIFA World Cup match.
Coach Julian Nagelsmann might well keep faith with the same XI that eventually put Curacao to the sword, but if he does, it might be tough on Deniz Undav.
The Stuttgart forward came off the bench to replace Jamal Musiala with 26 minutes to go and scored and provided two assists as Germany picked up their biggest win since the 2014 semifinal against Brazil. The versatile Undav has scored seven times and added four assists in just 10 appearances for Die Mannschaft.
Team news: Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae likely has more decisions to make.
Elye Wahi started the win over Ecuador up front before being replaced just before the hour by Ange-Yoan Bonny.
He was initially denied entry into Canada for this match due to visa complications. He was linked to a sports betting scandal while playing for Nice in Ligue 1 last month, but has since been authorised to travel and could yet be involved.
Bonny and unused subs from the first game, Oumar Diakite and Evann Guessand, are alternative options in attack.
Diallo came off the bench to win it, and the Manchester United attacking midfielder will be pushing to start, which might mean a switch of flanks for teenage starlet Yan Diomande, who stole the show on the right against Ecuador and will be eager to put on a show against the nation in which he plays for RB Leipzig.
Y. Fofana (goalkeeper); Doue, Singo, Agbadou, Konan; Diallo, Kessie, S. Fofana, Diomande; Bonny, Toure.
You can follow the action on Al Jazeera’s dedicated FIFA World Cup 2026 page with all the latest news, match build-up and live text commentary and keep up to date with group standings, real-time match results and schedules.
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