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?”
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.”
Liisa Sletzinger emails: “The minimum extra six minutes stoppage/extra time is so unfair!! Côte d’Ivoire deserve the draw and the minimum extra six minutes stoppage benefits Germany who deserved to tie like the underperforming overhyped squad they are.
”I love soccer but hate Fifa with a passion!”
There are few Ivorians on their backs, frustrated by the late loss and generally just being out of energy.
Full time: Germany 2-1 Cote d'Ivoire
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!
GOAL! Germany 2-1 Cote d'Ivoire (Undav, 93+4)
WHAT A PASS, WHAT A FINISH!
Updated
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.
Updated
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.
Updated
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.
GOAL! Germany 1-1 Cote d'Ivoire (Undav, 68)
The substitute whacks in a fine cross.
Updated
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.”
54 mins: Sane pings a cross to Wirtz, whose touch gets the ball into Havertz’s path but his touch is a poor one and Fofana collects.
Kessie then gets another chance thanks to fine work from Diallo but it’s a bad touch and Nmecha nips in.
52 mins: Germany look unable to cope with the pace and power Cote d’Ivoire are showing in midfield.
Updated
51 mins: Kessie drags the Ivorians up the pitch and exchanges a pass with Diallo but the captain’s first touch is not great and Tah is on him, making the shot almost redundant.
Something similar happens soon after between Oulai and Diallo but the formers shot from inside the box is always rising.
49 mins: A promising move from Germany sees Brown drive towards the box before slipping Musiala in. The Bayern man cuts inside and shoots but it is deflected wide.
Rodri emails: “The commentator in Uruguayan TV placed part of the blame for the goal on Nagelsmann, arguing that he made Germany play for too long with “ten and a half men” by not substituting Schlotterbeck.”
47 mins: Half the pitch is covered in shade. Down the shadowy right-hand side, Diallo bursts forward but his pass inside is imprecise and cleared.
Almost chaos at the back for Germany as Tah jabs a backpass to Neuer who just about clears a split second before an orange shirt chases him down.
Updated
Second half
Here we go again!
Rudiger is on for Schlotterbeck.
Rocco Columbus emails: “You can complain about hydration breaks, or you can complain about the extreme heat like the Guardian just did yesterday (https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/19/world-cup-matches-severe-heat-level-analysis), but you can’t complain about both.”
No, you can do both. Of course they are sensible in extreme heat, not when it is 22C. That’s just pleasant weather.
Half-time reading.
Half time: Germany 0-1 Cote d'Ivoire
It’s been an even and entertaining opening 45 minutes but the African side have the edge thanks to a clinical finish from Kessie. This game is a long way from over.
Updated
45+4 mins: It does feel like if Germany are to get back into this that Nmecha will be very important. He is a silky player.
Musiala goes down in the vicinity of the box after a Diallo challenge. The referee gives nothing and rightly so.
Down the other end, Bonny outmuscles Schlotterbeck but the defender does well to get back at him and gives away a corner.
45+2 mins: Germany take a short corner without an end plan. Kimmich belatedly chips the ball into the box but it is easily cleared. There is a bit more shadow play after that but no threat.
Richard says: “It’s not a hydration break.
Call it what it is.
Time waster break - in which everyone should get a yellow card.
Tactical up date break.
Momentum break.
Advert break.
It’s 20 degrees down here in New Zealand and I don’t yet need rehydrating. We never had them at Wigan.
The various new rules have improved the game, but this contrived break defffo doesn’t.
45 mins: Seven minutes added on.
Kári Tulinius writes: “I’ve been telling anyone who’ll listen that Côte d’Ivoire are being underestimated and could go deep. But I might be hoisted by my own petard, because if they win their group they’ll be on a collision course with France in the round of 16. Even I, at my most hopeful on the Elephants behalf, don’t expect them to beat this French side.”
43 mins: A Germany corner creates chaos in the box with some erratic pinballing before it is cleared.
41 mins: Kimmich chips a free-kick into the box, it bounces down but Cote d’Ivoire win the second ball and punt clear.
Wirtz then gets a fine chance just inside the box but his first touch is poor and his shot is deflected wide.
39 mins: NO GOAL! The referee witnesses Musiala trip Kossounou on the edge of the box, before the ball runs free and eventually Havertz slams home. The whistle is then blown and the goal ruled out. VAR checks but there is no reason to overturn it.
Updated
38 mins: The clouds ensure the pitch is covered in shade now. I wouldn’t bother with the second hydration break later, lads.
Germany are knocking the ball around but struggling to break through the aggressive press. Cote d’Ivoire win the ball back on the halfway and move forward at speed, culminating with a tame Bonny shot.
36 mins: To sum up the current malaise Germany find themselves in, Schlotterbeck has just pinged a 60-yard pass straight out for a goal kick. There was no one in white within an acre of where the ball landed. Better luck next time, mate.
34 mins: The goal has, understandably, given Cote d’Ivoire a lift. They are looking slicker and more confident.
FB gets in touch: “A few observations from this Irish viewer from my couch on the Lower East Side:
- these second group games have been characterised by far more dribbling and taking defenders on than the cagey triangular passing in the opening fixtures for each team
- you could nearly set your watch by the first water break and a keeper injury (or “injury”) — there seems to be an unwillingness for refs to deal with it and I’ve seen the water whistle blown more than once in games to paper over awkward decision-making
- I see Côte d’Ivoire nicking one here but not sure if they’ll be able to hold off a predictable German onslaught — the Germans look very good, don’t they?
Oops! I wrote that (#3) seconds ago. Let’s see if it comes true. Allez Les Éléphants!!
32 mins: German need to adapt and potential help out Kimmich at right-back.
GOAL! Diomande does superbly well on the left and flashes a cross into the six-yard box. Diallo should score but Brown does well to block his point blank shot, only for the rebound to fall to Kessie, who forces the ball home.
GOAL! Germany 0-1 Cote d'Ivoire (Kessie, 30)
The captain squeezes the ball home from close range.
Updated
29 mins: Rudiger is getting some instructions from Nagelsmann. One must assume he is coming on for Schlotterbeck.
28 mins: I criticise the hydration break but it did give me time to unplug the car.
25 mins: HYDRATION BREAK! It is 22C after all. Attendees rightly boo.
Speaking of water breaks … you have three minutes to read this.
22 mins: NO GOAL! The resulting corner is sent to the back post where Pavlovic challenges the goalkeeper. The German beats Fofana to it, nodding home but the referee rules it out. I would argue it as a bit soft but the goalkeeper always gets those.
Updated
21 mins: Germany are ramping things up, passing the ball with greater pace and smoothness to cause the Ivorians problems. Nmecha takes a punt from 25 yards which is deflected over, rippling the roof of the net.
20 mins: A slick German move ends with Brown overhitting a through ball for Havertz, allowing Fofana to come and collect.
18 mins: Brown drives down the left, he looks up and slides the ball to the edge of the box but the pass is not perfect and is intercepted.
Moments later Musiala receives the ball 20 yards from goal, he gets it out of his feet and takes aim for the bottom corner but the shot flashes inches wide.
16 mins: Schlotterbeck gets back up and wanders off for further treatment on his ankle. After his enforced one-minute absence, he is back with us.
14 mins: Diomande has a great chance to drive into the box on the left but takes a bad touch and runs the ball out of play.
Schlotterbeck’s race is run. He is sat down and awaiting a replacement.
Updated
12 mins: Musiala is taken down by Singo on the halfway line. I assume the Bayern man will get plenty of close attention.
Schlotterbeck is struggling and may need to come off very soon.
Cote d’Ivoire launch a quick attack which concludes with Singo pummelling a shot into a German defender.
10 mins: Kimmich lifts in a cross for Havertz to attack, flicking his neck muscles to direct the ball towards the bottom corner but Fofana gets down quickly to save smartly.
Blair Stewart emails: “Seeing as how Nagelsmann managed to go through three wardrobe changes for the last match as if he’s late stage Elvis or Lady Gaga playing the strip in Las Vegas, what can we expect today during the “hydration breaks”?
“Feather boas? A Zoot Suit? Spaceman suit?
“Your thoughts please and thanks.”
Fedora or nothing.
8 mins: Cote d’Ivoire are putting the Germans under pressure on the ball, and vice versa. Fofana is forced into a mistake at the back, panicking amid the press, basically passing the ball out to the left to avoid being the victim of a pickpocket on his own line.
6 mins: Diomande has admitted to being turned down by Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, Rangers and Olympiakos after having trials with the clubs. They may feel a little silly now.
4 mins: Germany are enjoying all the possession but when they lose it Cote d’Ivoire are primed to bounce. Their chance to counter sees Diomande get down the left and put in a cross from the byline but the Germans scramble it away. It would seem Diomande is fine.
Updated
2 mins: Diomande is hobbling around with a grimace on his face. Not ideal …
1 mins: Germany lump it up immediately, looking to put the Ivorians under pressure. The ball drops to Havertz inside the box but he spanks it over after 15 seconds.
Kick off
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
They’ve made it out to the pitch very early, so surely this match will kick off on time.
Here comes the teams, filing out behind their respective flags.
The players are heading to the tunnel …
“Either at the start of this season or the end of last there was a piece on the website where various Guardian football writers suggested innovations they would like to see,” writes David Wall. “One suggestion was for teams to switch tactics, or formations, or player positions during a match in a pre-planned way. For instance, a team might start in a 4-4-2 formation then at a pre-planned minute or on a signal from the manager, they would switch to 4-2-3-1, for 10 minutes, then switch back or to another formation. Or they might start in a low defensive position, looking to attack on the break, then similarly switch suddenly to an intensive pressing approach for a period, and so on. The thought was that the surprise would disrupt the patterns that the opponent had establish and in that time before they worked out what the new shape and approach was, and how to defend against it, you could score a goal or two (and we saw in England’s match against Croatia how many chances you can make in a very short period of time, when they could easily have scored 3 or 4 in the ten minutes after half time). We’ve already seen how the hydration breaks have allowed managers to make changes to shift the momentum if they’re struggling at that point. But I wonder if, by the later stages of the tournament, one of the more strategic managers will start using the hydration breaks for pre-planned tactical switches rather than merely reactive ones. And if they do, will they credit The Guardian for the idea?”
Sounds very Wilson.
Amrick emails: “Is it just me or does Gary Neville look a little put out (dare I say jealous) of the OG original Gary Lineker?”
Who wouldn’t?
Manuel Neuer is back between the sticks for Germany after coming out of international retirement aged 40. I can offer some insight that he prepared for the tournament with a holiday in Mallorca.
It feels like a big summer and season ahead for Amad Diallo. He has done reasonably well for Manchester United but I still debate if he can take them forward in the Champions League. He needs to show he can move up a couple of levels and thriving at a World Cup would help that.
Andrew Goudie emails: “Lineker is all well and good, but Duncan Ferguson is the break-out pundit of the tournament.”
I did interview Big Dunc during his spell at Forest Green, so I am not surprised his personality has shone in Brooklyn.
Nick Ames was on hand to watch Netherlands give Sweden a bit of a shooing.
Lineker, however, is happy to have a pop at the pricing, taking aim at Fifa.
Mark Bullingham is on ITV and bottles a question on the cost of tickets at this World Cup and how it has priced out many England fans. A rather cowardly response in my opinion.
Gary Lineker is on ITV. What a world we live in.
Starting lineups
Germany (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Kimmich, Tah, Schlotterbeck, Brown; Nmecha, Pavlovic; Sane, Musiala, Wirtz; Havertz
Subs: Amiri, Anton, Baumann, Beier, Goretzka, Gross, Leweling, Nubel, Ouedraogo, Raum, Rüdiger, Stiller, Thiaw, Undav
Cote D’Ivoire (4-4-2): Y Fofana; Singo, Kossounou, Agbadou, Konan; Diallo, Kessie, Sangare, Yan Diomande; Bonny, Oulai
Subs: Adringra, Diakite, O Diomande, Doue, S Fofana, Guessand, Guiagon, Kone, Lafont, Ndicka, Operi, Pepe, Seri, Toure, Wahi
Updated
Some cracking larks in the Germany training camp where they have come face-to-face with venomous snakes in North Carolina.
“We saw a snake yesterday, we were told it was venomous. If you get bitten, you have to go to the hospital,” the midfielder Joshua Kimmich said. “I don’t think you’ll die, but it’s certainly dangerous. I have the feeling that if you step on a snake like that, it can end badly.
“That’s why we’re trying to keep our distance from animals here. I have respect for the people here. In Germany, I have the feeling there aren’t so many dangerous animals.”
Where are the Germans? Marching through Toronto it transpires and they really do care.
The Dutch lads are doing the business against Sweden to make a certain Mr Messi worried. Check out the Golden Boot standings.
Your daily England news.
There are no shortage of whispers around Yan Diomande’s future and how much it will cost Liverpool to sign him for RB Leipzig. The German club may hope he prospers tonight and they can shuck a few more quick onto the price tag.
Jamal Musiala was good against Curacao as a No 10. I will be interested to see how he copes against the Ivorians.
While you’re waiting for this one, join John Brewin for Netherlands v Sweden.
Pre-match reading.
Preamble
A win for either side here would put them through to the next round, so it is quite a big event. In an elongated tournament, the prospect of being able to rest some players for the final group game will be very important.
Germany were able to breeze past Curacao in their opening game, hitting seven. Not enough teams have been ruthless at this tournament but Julian Nagelsmann’s side showed they have the attacking capabilities required to go a long way, even if some will point to the quality of the opposition.
A very late Amad Diallo goal edged Côte d’Ivoire past Ecuador but that will have boosted confidence. Elye Wahi is at the centre of a spot-fixing investigation in France but has been allowed to enter Canada after some confusion. It will be interesting to see if he can focus on the match.
Let’s hope for a cracker!
