Alemania vs Costa de Marfil: Copa del Mundo 2026

Thank you very much for joining me.

Leander Schaerlaeckens was in attendance in Toronto for this match. Here is his report.

Jurgen Klopp is now doing adverts for arguably the worst beer available. It's a different vibe from being a Premier League manager.

Gary Neville: “Germany, they are just Germany, aren't they?â€

Punditry.

This is how the evening started for UK viewers. Nice to see him back but I probably won't watch his game show.

Undav now has nine goals in 11 international appearances. Not bad, to be fair.

Kári Tulinius writes: “As a Stuttgart fan, I've been pleased that Undav hasn't been selected as a starter. I've been worried that people who don't watch VfB week in and week out will notice how good he is, and he'll be taken from us like Guirassy and Woltemade before him. Unfortunately, his quality is shining through despite Nagelsmann's reservations.â€

There are few Ivorians on their backs, frustrated by the late loss and generally just being out of energy.

In the end, it was Deniz Undav coming off the bench that made the difference for Germany, scoring twice to secure a spot in the knockout stages. It was a cracking game and Cote d'Ivoire will feel hard done by, having given everything.

GOAL! Nmecha pings a pass into the feet of Undav with his back to goal, he takes a touch, spins and whacks his shot into the corner. What a supersub!

WHAT A PASS, WHAT A FINISH!

90+2 mins: It has become end-to-end in recent minutes. I suspect both teams want the win to secure qualification and have a peaceful final group game.

90+1 mins: WHAT A CHANCE! Amiri receives a pass inside the box, his first touch is perfect but his second is a meek shot straight at Fofana.

90 mins: Six minutes added on.

Russell Eberts emails: “It's cool to watch the players, from all over the world, chatting with each other during stops in play*, and just thinking about how they're all having similar conversations, talking about little intricacies of the game, and how, despite all of the geopolitical issues surrounding the World Cup, the beauty of football is that sense of shared humanity, of a commonality that no one can ever take away..

..and as I write that, a player from each team is lying on the ground, clutching their ankle, rocking back and forth gently, before getting back to their feet and suddenly running around without any issue. This common action is shared by every team in the world!

(*this is absolutely not an endorsement of the mid-half breaks)”

89 mins: WHAT A SAVE! Brown smashes a technically perfect volley across the goalkeeper and towards the corner, only for Fofana to dive to his left and palm clear.

88 mins: Pepe makes mincemeat of a couple of Germans and drives 40 yards up the pitch, reaching the area and picking out a teammate in space only for a poor touch to let his opponents back in.

86 mins: Undav barrels his way through a defender and then takes aim from 20-odd yards but it is straight at the goalkeeper.

85 mins: Havertz is also done for, and Goretzka comes on. We will get a change of shape here.

85 mins: Arsenal legend Pepe is on for Diomande, who looks rather tired.

84 mins: Cote d'Ivoire have a corner on the left. It is not a great delivery but that surprises Germany who do not know how to react to the ball bouncing in the box. They do eventually get rid, only for it to come back and Fofana to have a dig that is blocked.

82 mins: Wirtz pings a pass straight into the referee's midriff. I assume it is not a review of his officiating from the Liverpool man.

Diomande is bundled over by Wirtz on the touchline. They could soon be teammates.

Singo is crying in the dugout, Doue replaces him.

80 mins: We are yet to have a booking in this match. The referee is quite forgiving.

Havertz has a chance to push on with the ball at his feet but is outmuscled by Singo, who ends up lying down on the turf after suffering a hamstring issue, stopping a quick throw. Nagelsmann is fuming.

78 mins: The referee refuses to give two fouls, despite the alleged victims being left in a heap.

76 mins: The teams have lost their rhythm after the hydration break. Meh.

75 mins: We go again! Guessand, Seko Fofana, Adringa on for Bonny, Diallo and Sangare.

72 mins: Oh no, we get it now. How irritating. Cote d'Ivoire will be pleased to stop for a few minutes.

71 mins: Has the referee forgotten about the hydration break?

70 mins: With tails up, Havertz gets a chance in the box but his touch is not great and the danger is gone.

Nagelsmann will be pleaased with himself after those smart subs.

GOAL! Amiri has the ball on the inside right and chips the ball into the box where his fellow sub Undav is waiting, volleying home from close range.

The substitute whacks in a fine cross.

68 mins: Fofana is milking it after clashing slightly with his own man, not that Kessie is paying attention as he complains to the referee, even though a foul is awarded.

66 mins: Amiri is hobbling after a clash of knees. Not an ideal introduction to the match.

Brown's through ball is poked behind off an Ivorian foot. Kimmich tries to replicate his previous effort but Fofana does better this time, punching clear and getting a free-kick for his troubles.

64 mins: A deep cross is flicked behind by Singo. Wirtz leaves it for Kimmich who does a better job than last time, sending the cross over a flapping Fofana's head, only for Havertz to nod a glorious chance wide while the goalkeeper is on his back.

62 mins: Undav will provide more of a presence up top, compared to Havertz who barely threatened.

60 mins: Germany have a corner on the left, which is taken sharply and leads to another corner. Kimmich decides to swing the second one in but Fofana comes out and takes a clean catch. Havertz is on the deck pretending he's been fouled … he has not.

Sane, Musiala and Pavlovic off. Leweling, Undav and Amiri on.

58 mins: Germany need to get hold of the ball more and calm things down. What they do not need is Rudiger shooting from 35 yards but it is inevitably going a mile over.

Nagelsmann is plotting a triple change, much to the surprise of no one.

56 mins: Germany are being overrun here and cannot stop the swathes of attacks from the Ivorians. The latest ends with Diomande volleying wide.

Khrishnamoorthy emails: “Being fed on a regular diet of Premier League football where a half time score of 1-0 means sit deep and grind out a 1 – 0 win (trademark Arsenal) it is refreshing to see the energy of Ivory Coast who are playing as if they are the one who is down one goal.â€