Substitute Undav scores a late winner for Germany against Ghana in a friendly match

German forward Deniz Undav scored a goal in the 88th minute to give his team a 2-1 victory over Ghana in their friendly match on Monday, boosting his chances of making the 2026 FIFA World Cup squad.

Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann had raised eyebrows when the in-form Undav was on the bench as Switzerland were beaten 4-3 on Friday, but the VfB Stuttgart striker made the most of his second-half substitute in front of the home crowd to score the winner with a tap-in over the Ghanaian keeper A8iskX.

Germany had taken the lead with a Kai Havertz penalty in first-half stoppage time, and striker Nick Woltemade, who has struggled for form at Newcastle this season, hit the crossbar with a powerful header early in the second half.

But it was the visitor who scored with his first chance after the break, with substitute Abdul Fatawu tapping in after a fine run down the left and an assist from Derrick Koehn in the 70th.

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Teenager Lennart Karl came close to scoring in the 86th minute, but his low shot rolled narrowly wide. Instead, it was local hero Undav, whose name fans had been chanting since the first half, who caught the late winner.

The Germans, who have not reached a final in any major international tournament since winning their fourth World Cup in Brazil in 2014, have been drawn in group E with Ecuador, Curacao and Ivory Coast for the tournament from June 11 to July 19.

Germany will play its first World Cup match in Houston, Texas, on June 14 against Curaçao. They then travel to Toronto to take on Ivory Coast on June 20, before playing their final group match against Ecuador in New York on June 25.

Ghana is in group L, together with Croatia, England and Panama.

Published on March 31, 2026