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World Cup: Winning mentality returns as Germans set higher goals
After winning their fourth World Cup title in 2014 in Brazil, the European giants failed to get out of the group stage both at Russia 2018 and four years ago in Qatar
- PUBLISHED: Sun 21 Jun 2026, 2:22 PM
- By:
- AFP
The winning mentality is back in the German team as coach Julian Nagelsmann was thrilled by the comeback victory against Ivory Coast on Saturday.
But Nagelsmann stopped short of celebrating his side advancing to the World Cup knockout stage for the first time since 2014.
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"We have high ambitions," Nagelsmann said when asked by AFP if booking a place in the next round was something to celebrate.
"The most important topic for us is to focus on the next step," he said.
Germany failed to get out of the group stage both at Russia 2018 and four years ago in Qatar.
Saturday's dramatic win, secured in extra time with a second goal from substitute Deniz Undav, guarantees the Germans will advance and snaps a streak of bitter World Cup disappointment for the four-time winners.
"This is exactly what we hoped for and I'm very happy for me team," Nagelsmann said.
He said that after his two-goal performance, Undav could make the starting 11 in Germany's third group stage match against Ecuador, but also stressed that the Stuttgart forward was thriving as a substitute.
"I could have him in the starting lineup," Nagelsmann said. "I think that every player would love to be in the starting lineup, but I think he's very happy as it is right now."
Franck Kessie put Ivory Coast ahead in the first half but the African side was largely on the defensive in the second half, ultimately unable to withstand the relentless German pressure.
But the Elephants remain in a strong position to advance and could book Ivory Coast's first ever ticket to the World Cup knockout with a decisive win over Curacao next week.
"We still have everything to play for," said Ivorian coach Emerse Fae.
"I'm really happy with the performance of my players during these 90 minutes... I think we had two teams that deserve to win," he added.
"Our primary objective is to get out of the group phase."
Germany looked to have opened the scoring when midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic rose to meet a short corner in the 25th minute but was deemed to have fouled Fofana in the process.
The ruling left Pavlovic with his hands atop his head in disbelief while Fofana received some attention after the collision and the partisan German crowd made their disdain for the referee's decision known.
Shortly after it was Ivory Coast who finally broke through with Kessie's goal. The West Africans have scored in their last seven matches at the tournament – the longest such sequence on the global stage in their history.
Germany once again put the ball in the back of the net but their celebrations were cut short as the referee determined that Jamal Musiala had fouled Odilon Kossounou in the build-up.
"We had exactly what it takes to succeed in a tournament, a winning mentality, team spirit," said German defender Jonathan Tah. "We didn't give up; we just kept going.
"The guys coming off the bench brought new energy to the game. Deniz deserves special mention. He was outstanding."
Germany will close out the group stage against Ecuador on Thursday in New Jersey while Ivory Coast face Curacao in Philadelphia.