How Germany completed Toronto turnaround to snatch win from Ivory Coast

Substitutes make the difference

German coach Julian Nagelsmann deserves quite a bit of credit for making the right substitutions at the right time. Going into the final half-hour of the game still down a goal, it was clear that the players on the field would not be able to steer Germany to a victory.

Up stepped Deniz Undav, Nadiem Amiri, and Jamie Leweling, who came on and made the difference. Undav in particular proved to be the super sub.

Less than 10 minutes after the changes, he got onto Amiri's pinpoint cross to tie things up. The Stuttgart man moving into the striker spot was a smart move, with Kai Havertz playing in the hole for the remainder of his time on the pitch.

Undav scored the winner as well, controlling Felix Nmecha's defence-splitting pass before finding the back of the net. The 29-year-old has surely provided a strong case for Nagelsmann to start him in upcoming games. That is all the more prevalent given Germany's struggles to break down the Ivorians, who excelled at closing down the central axes.

Die Mannschaft's depth proved key here, as bringing on players of Undav and Amiri's quality is a welcome sight. This could also become prevalent again down the road, with the four-time world champions wanting to go on a deep run in the tournament.

Patience is a virtue

For any side taking on the Ivory Coast, one of the keys will be to stay patient. It is already well-established at this rate that Les Elephants are hard to break down, evidenced by the fact they did not concede in qualification. 

Saturday's match was no different, as the Germans had more of the possession and more of the scoring opportunities. However, they could not capitalise, as the Ivory Coast were able to get a body to everything. They were also solid defensively, which did not make things any easier for Nagelsmann's side.

But, with patience and perseverance, Die Mannschaft were able to get the goal. The cracks started just after the hour mark when Yahia Fofana fumbled a routine corner, almost resulting in a goal. 

That led to the equaliser, as none of the Ivorian defenders managed to pick up Undav, who had a free header in the middle of their box. Surely coach Emerse Fae will not be pleased with that.

With two wins from two, Germany have shown an ability to come out on top in different ways. While they were largely untroubled against Curacao - bar the goal conceded - they really had to work for the three points against Cote d'Ivoire. If they are to go far in North America, being able to get results in different ways will be quite important.

Ivory Coast did not use key players enough

While they spent much of the time defending, the Ivory Coast were not without chances. In contrast to how Germany looked to break them down centrally, Les Elephants relied on their wingers to cause the damage.

Both Amad Diallo and Yan Diomande were giving the German full-backs all they could handle. The latter in particular had Joshua Kimmich's number constantly, and it was obvious that the Bayern Munich man would need help.

Cote d'Ivoire's goal came from Diomande's movement as the youngster showed why he has several clubs after him.

The problem for the CAF side was, for all of the trouble they were causing Germany on the wings, they did not do enough to add to their lead. Outside of the goal, they had just one other shot on target, which speaks volumes. Yes, they were under severe pressure for much of the second half, but really could have gotten something out of this.

Diallo and Diomande's work will be important for the Ivorians in their next matches, as they are the two most creative players they have. Getting them on the ball more so they can go at their markers is likely to be how they unlock difficult defences.

It will be a bitter pill for the Ivory Coast to swallow, but while they were second best, they will regret not winning this one.

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