While You Were Sleeping: Undav double breaks Ivorian hearts, Room the hero as Curacao hold Ecuador
DEUTSCH DELIGHT: Undav and co celebrate a late win in Toronto. Picture: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images
Denis Undav proved the German hero as the Stuttgart striker's double - including a 94th minute winner - helped his country progress to the knockout stages of the tournament for the first time since they won the World Cup back in 2014. Read the full match report here.
Kessie's opener:
Undav's equaliser:
Undav's late winner:
M Neuer; J Kimmich, J Tah, N Schlotterbeck (A Rudiger 45'), N Brown F Nmecha, A Pavlovic (N Amiri 60'); L Sané (J Leweling 60'), J Musiala (D Undav 60'), F Wirtz; K Havertz (L Goretzka 85').
Y Fofana; W Singo (G Doué 82'), O Kossounou, E Agbadou, G Konan; I Sangare (S Fofana 75'); A Diallo (S Adingra 75'), F Kessie, C Oulai, Y Diomande (N Pepe 85'); A Bonny (E Guessand 75').
Juan Gabriel Benitez.
Denis Undav (Germany).
"When (the game) opens up he's really great at moving around. Deniz is nobody who needs to be prepared; he can jump in right away."
"A difference in experience that meant in the chances that we did have at the end of the game, where we needed to find the back of the net, we were hesitant."
What more does Deniz Undav have to do to convince Julien Nagelsmann that he is the man to spearhead the German attack for the remainder of the contest?
Sure, Havertz has flair and a penchant for being in the right place at the right time but Undav's physicality, positioning and spacial awareness arguably make him a superior candidate for the number 9 spot. Three goals and two assists in two games off the bench is evidence enough the Stuttgart forward is ready.
As soon as the 29-year-old entered the field of play in Toronto he was causing the Ivorian backline problems with his movement. The first goal came from a well-timed run and a first-time finish. The second constituted that spacial awareness and even better timing, beating offside and firing home confidently with his left.
With two minutes of normal time left on the clock, Nicolas Pepe burst down the right flank and cut inside, delivering a perfectly weighted pass to Simon Adingra in the area. The AS Monaco forward had time and space, a first time effort was on but he waited too long and by the time he had attempted to control the ball and turn inside himself, he lost possession and with it a vital chance to win the game and boost their knockout qualification hopes. Five minutes later Undav buried the winner.
Ecuador's own qualification chances took a hit as they were held to a frustrating stalemate by Caribbean minnows Curacao. With an abundance of shots on target - calling Curacao keeper Eloy Roon into action 15 (!) times - and the majority of possession, Ecuador could not make their dominance count. Read the full match report here.
This was one of Room's many game-saving stops:
H Galindez; A Franco (A Preciado 83'), W Pacho, P Hincapié; J Alcivar (K Rodriguez 45'); J Yeboah (J Caicedo 89'), P Vite, M Caicedo, P Estupinán (N Angulo 70'); G Plata, E Valencia.
J Alcivar.
E Room; J Brenet, J Gaari, A Obispo, S Floranus, D Fonville (R Van Eijima 76'); T Chong (J Margaritha 76'), L Comenencia (G Roemeratoe 84'), L Bacuna, J Bacuna (K Gorre 75') J Locadia (G Kastaneer 83').
J Gaari, L Comenencia, L Bacuna, J Bacuna.
Ning Ma.
Eloy Room (Curacao).
This game saw 18 shots on target, the highest number in a single match in FIFA World Cup since 1966 without any team able to score.
Before the World Cup some saw Ecuador as the competition's dark horses and how could you blame them with stars like Willian Pacho, Piero Hincapie - both played in this year's Champions League final - and Moises Caicedo. Yet, these stars have failed to inspire anything in this Ecuador side still looking for their first goal of the competition after 180-plus minutes of football. It's not going to get any easier either with the South Americans taking on Germany in their last group game.
A heroic performance from Curacao and Eloy Room 🫡 pic.twitter.com/SLTvFJVSeW
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) June 21, 2026
Eloy Room did himself and a small nation proud tonight by making 15 saves and earning Curacao their first ever World Cup point. His display highlighted some other spectacular goalkeeping displays from tournament minnows we've seen so far including Saudi keeper Mohamed Al Uwais' shotstopping heroics against Uruguay or Vozinha's magical moments for Cape Verde against European champions Spain. The shotstoppers are having their moment in the USA.
Germany clinches the top spot in Group E 🇩🇪
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 21, 2026
Which nations will join them in the Round of 32? pic.twitter.com/GwASm6dizD
Ronald Koeman's Netherlands were ruthless as they put five past a helpless Sweden side in Houston. A brace each from Cody Gakpo and Brian Brobbey plus a late strike from Crysencio Summerville puts the Dutch top of Group F. Read the full match report here.
Brazil's 3-0 victory over Haiti on Friday came with a painful sting as Barcelona forward Raphinha limped off in the first half with another thigh injury, but the national team remain hopeful he can stay with the squad and return later in the World Cup.
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) confirmed on Saturday that the winger had suffered a muscle injury, although it gave no timeline for his return.
A source close to the team told Reuters that the outlook was optimistic.
"On Saturday, Raphinha underwent an imaging exam that confirmed a muscle injury in the back of his right thigh," the CBF said in a statement.
"The player will follow an intensive treatment protocol, monitored by the Brazilian national team's medical staff, with the aim of facilitating his recovery and return to action as soon as possible."
Brazil's players have rallied around the 29-year-old, with midfielder Lucas Paqueta saying they were hoping for positive news.
"He's a little downcast; we hope it's nothing too serious, that it's the least worst-case scenario, because he's a very important player, and we rely on him a lot," Paqueta told reporters.
The United States will continue to assess the Iran squad's travel arrangements at the World Cup but for now the original plan remains in place despite the team saying they would lodge a complaint with FIFA, Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the tournament, told Reuters on Saturday.
Iran are unhappy at restrictions that mean they can only travel to venues within 24 hours of their fixtures and must depart back to their training base in Tijuana, Mexico directly after each game, with coach Amir Ghalenoei suggesting his side were "the most oppressed team in the whole World Cup".
Giuliani, however, says the situation is fluid and they will discuss what measures will be in place for Iran’s third game against Egypt in Seattle on Friday, after their meeting with Belgium in Los Angeles on Sunday.
"The situation is dynamic," Giuliani said in an exclusive interview in Houston. "We have a plan right now. Tomorrow afternoon (after the match against Belgium) they will take the 27-minute flight back to Tijuana.
"We will see how it goes for match two, and then there will be discussions the day after in terms of what it looks like for match three in Seattle."
Lamine Yamal’s return to fitness is a huge boost for Spain for more reasons than the obvious. The Barcelona star is undoubtedly La Roja’s best player. Crucially, though, is that Yamal’s availability from the outset means Luis de la Fuente can jettison Ferran Torres out of the starting XI.
Torres hardly endured the worst domestic campaign. Indeed, he struck 16 times as the Blaugrana pipped Real Madrid to La Liga. Yet he struggled from the right in the 0-0 draw with Cape Verde. The 26-year-old mustered four shots, but failed to beat Vozinha. The worst was a close-range effort that cannoned off the crossbar. Torres lasted 81 minutes in Monday’s stalemate. He should register fewer this weekend.
Rudi Garcia spoke before Belgium’s eventual 1-1 draw with Egypt on Monday that Romelu Lukaku may not be fit enough to start. And that proved the case as the Napoli man was named on the bench in Seattle.
Nevertheless, Garcia turned to Lukaku for the final 25 minutes as Belgium’s all-time top scorer replaced the ineffective Charles De Ketelaere. Seconds after his introduction and Belgium were level. Lukaku may not have scored the equaliser but he provided a much-needed presence in the penalty area to force the own goal.
Garcia now needs Lukaku to be fit enough to feature from the outset against Iran.
Vozinha caused quite the stir as Cape Verde secured a memorable result against pre-World Cup favourites Spain on Monday. The 40-year-old became the oldest player to compete in a nation’s first World Cup match.
And he did so in style, making seven saves and three high ball claims in their Group H 0-0 draw. Vozinha’s performance was headline grabbing news. So much so, that the goalkeeper’s social presence has skyrocketed. In the 24 hours after the match, Vozinha gained in excess of five million Instagram followers. At the time of writing, that stands at 13.6 million. It’s quite the shot to prominence.
When Egypt took to the Seattle Stadium field against Belgium, Mohamed Salah started in the number 10 role in Hossam Hassan’s favoured 4-2-3-1 setup with Omar Marmoush leading the charge. It was a position that Salah thrived in.
Salah provided the assist for Emam Ashour’s first-half thunderbolt to leave Thibaut Courtois clutching at thin air. That assist came from one of three chances the 34- year-old created in the 1-1 draw with Belgium. No player made more. And with everything to play for in Group G, Salah’s free role could prove decisive as Egypt chase first World Cup win at New Zealand’s expense. Ben McAleer
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