German striker Ondav scores twice off bench to send Germany past Ivory Coast at World Cup

KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait — Germany beat Ivory Coast 2-1 in a 2026 World Cup Group E match, with forward Deniz Ondav coming off the bench to score twice and secure Germany's place in the next round. Ondav entered the game after coach Julian Nagelsmann's changes and headed in a cross from Nadiem Amiri in the 68th minute before adding a second in stoppage time. Defender Jonathan Tah said the substitutes brought fresh energy to the side and that Ondav carried out his role perfectly. Earlier in the tournament, Ondav had also scored and provided two assists after coming on in a 7-1 win over Curaçao, a match after which he wrapped himself in a Kurdistan flag and performed a traditional Kurdish dance. Born to a family that moved from Şanlıurfa, Turkey, to Germany following the 1980 military coup, Ondav has described himself in interviews primarily as a Kurd. He did not come through Stuttgart's academy, played in lower divisions, and worked a vocational job while developing as a player. He broke through at Belgium's Union Saint-Gilloise before moving to Brighton and then Stuttgart, where he signed a contract extension through 2029. Nagelsmann called him up to Germany's senior squad in March 2024, when he was 27.