CDM 2026: Côte d’Ivoire stuns Germany and leads at halftime thanks to Kessié

20.06.26 FT World Cup

Germany

2

:

Ivory Coast

1

Despite territorial dominance and several dangerous chances, Germany trails a clinical Côte d’Ivoire at halftime, with captain Franck Kessié providing the breakthrough.

Côte d’Ivoire is pulling off a major upset against Germany in this highly anticipated Group E clash at the 2026 World Cup. The Elephants headed into the break with a 1-0 lead, courtesy of their captain Franck Kessié, who opened the scoring in the 30th minute at Toronto’s BMO Field.

Read also: CDM 2026 / Germany - Côte d’Ivoire: official lineups revealed

Yet, the Mannschaft started the match on the front foot, applying high pressing and dominating possession. However, despite several dangerous situations—including a powerful header from Kai Havertz denied by Yahia Fofana—Julian Nagelsmann’s men lacked clinical finishing in front of goal.

In contrast, the Ivorians showed lethal efficiency on the counterattack, exploiting open spaces with precision. After a clever pass from Yan Diomandé, Amad Diallo saw his effort saved by Manuel Neuer before Kessié pounced to finish the move. Germany thought they had equalized through Aleksandar Pavlović, but VAR ruled the goal out before halftime, while Jamal Musiala came agonizingly close to leveling the score.

Mahdi Zakaria LAZRI |

Editor

Football web writer creating digital sports content with a focus on news, analysis and stories that reflect passion, accuracy and objectivity.

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