Germany secured their place in the FIFA World Cup knockout stages after a dramatic 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast, while Curacao celebrated a historic milestone by claiming their first-ever World Cup point with a resilient draw against Ecuador on Saturday.
In Toronto, Germany produced a late comeback to continue their progress in the tournament and end a difficult run of recent World Cup campaigns.
Having failed to advance beyond the group stage in both 2018 and 2022, the four-time world champions have now reached the knockout rounds for the first time since 2014.
Ivory Coast appeared on course for a valuable result before Germany substitute Deniz Undav changed the course of the match.
The forward levelled the score in the 68th minute after coming off the bench and then delivered the decisive moment deep into stoppage time.
With the match entering its final moments, Undav kept his composure to score his second goal of the evening in the fourth minute of added time, completing Germany’s comeback and securing qualification for the next stage.
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann praised his players after the final whistle, describing the result as a reward for the team’s efforts and ambitions heading into the tournament.
The German victory was followed by another notable story from Group action as Curacao, the smallest nation by population ever to reach a World Cup knockout, earned a memorable 0-0 draw against Ecuador in Kansas City.
With a population of around 160,000, Curacao arrived at the tournament as one of the outsiders but produced a disciplined defensive display to frustrate their higher-ranked opponents.
Goalkeeper Eloy Room delivered an outstanding performance, repeatedly denying Ecuador throughout the contest.
He finished with 15 saves, setting a World Cup record for the most stops made in a match that did not go into extra time.
Despite sustained pressure from Ecuador, Curacao held firm to achieve a historic result and earn the first World Cup point in the nation’s history.
The draw keeps Curacao’s hopes alive in the competition and adds another remarkable chapter to what has already become one of the tournament’s most inspiring stories.
.jpg "Dutch crush Sweden 5-1 to move closer to knockout stage")
