Why did the referee disallow Havertz’s goal during the Germany-Ivory Coast 2026 FIFA World Cup match?

Kai Havertz scored for Germany in the 39th minute of their Group E match against Ivory Coast on Saturday, but the goal was disallowed by the referee.

Germany won the ball in the final third and Florian Wirtz squared the ball to Havertz, who slid the ball home. The keeper was off his line and Havertz shot on goal with ease, despite a defender trying to clear the goal line.

However, when Havertz ran to the corner flag to celebrate, the referee blew his whistle to rule out the goal. It was because Jamal Musiala had fouled an Ivorian defender, Koussounou, while trying to win the ball back.

The Video Assistant Referee confirmed the decision and Germany were left 0-1 behind.

This was the second instance in the match where the referee interrupted Die Mannschaft’s festivities. In the 23rd minute, Aleksander Pavlovic had headed the ball into the net from a corner, but it was disallowed due to a foul on the goalkeeper.

The foul continued to haunt Germany when Frank Kessie fired the African side into the lead seven minutes later.

Published on June 21, 2026