The night of Saturday, June 21, delivered three completed group-stage matches at the 2026 World Cup and one that was still ongoing at the time of publication. The main drama unfolded in Toronto: Deniz Undav came off the bench in the 60th minute and scored twice, pulling Germany back from defeat and securing their place in the round of 1/32. Meanwhile, the Netherlands demolished Sweden 5:1 in Houston, while the Tunisia vs. Japan match was still in progress at the time of publication.
Night results
Netherlands — Sweden 5:1 (Group F)
The Netherlands responded to their opening-round draw with Japan with a convincing rout. Kick-off was at 20:00 Kyiv time at the stadium in Houston. Goals from Gakpo and Brobbey (two each) formed the backbone of the "Oranje" victory as they moved to the top of Group F. Sweden, who came into the match on the back of a resounding 5:1 win over Tunisia, had no answer to the Dutch attack. After two rounds, the Netherlands have 4 points, Sweden 3, Japan 1, and Tunisia 0 (the result of the Tunisia vs. Japan match is pending).
Germany — Ivory Coast 2:1 (Group E)
The most dramatic match of the night kicked off at 23:00 Kyiv time in Toronto. Ivory Coast opened the scoring in the 30th minute: captain Franck Kessié headed home a cross from a combination involving Yann Diomaande. Coach Julian Nagelsmann made a triple substitution in the 60th minute, and it was substitute Deniz Undav who turned the game around: in the 68th minute he converted a low cross from Nadim Amiri to level the score, and in the 94th minute — deep into stoppage time — he received a pass from Felix Nmecha and found the net, giving Germany a 2:1 victory. Undav, who played just 30 minutes, completed a brace and became the tournament's top scorer at the time of the match. An additional note: Nico Schlotterbeck suffered an ankle injury in the first half and had to leave the field. Thanks to this victory, Germany advanced to the round of 1/32 with two consecutive wins.
Ecuador — Curaçao 0:0 (Group E)
Simultaneously with the match in Toronto, the second Group E fixture took place. Ecuador and Curaçao failed to score. Curaçao goalkeeper Eloy Room had an outstanding match, saving all of his opponent's dangerous shots. Curaçao earned their first-ever point in World Cup history. The draw confirmed Germany as group winners — both teams remain in contention for a third-place qualification spot ahead of the final round.
Tunisia — Japan (Group F) — match in progress at time of publication
At the time of publication (08:10 Kyiv time), the Tunisia vs. Japan match at the Monterrey stadium in Mexico was still ongoing (kick-off at 08:00 Kyiv time). This is the 1,000th match in World Cup history. The result will be in the daytime news bulletin.
Standings
Group E (after 2 rounds)
- Germany — 6 points (2 wins), advanced to the round of 1/32
- Ivory Coast — 3 points (1 win, 1 loss)
- Ecuador — 1 point (1 loss, 1 draw)
- Curaçao — 1 point (1 loss, 1 draw) — first point in history
Group F (after 2 rounds, excluding Tunisia vs. Japan)
- Netherlands — 4 points (1 win, 1 draw)
- Sweden — 3 points (1 win, 1 loss)
- Japan — 1 point (1 draw, result of 2nd match pending)
- Tunisia — 0 points (2 losses, result of 2nd match pending)
Off the pitch
Schlotterbeck injury. Germany defender Nico Schlotterbeck suffered an ankle injury in the first half of the match against Ivory Coast and was unable to continue. His condition remains in doubt ahead of the final group-stage round.
Undav — record scorer from the bench. Coach Nagelsmann commented on his striker's role after the match: "Deniz is a player who doesn't need a warm-up — he can come on and immediately make an impact", as quoted by CBC Sports. Undav has recorded 5 goal contributions in just 56 minutes on the pitch at this tournament.
The Wahi case (Ivory Coast). Ivory Coast forward Elye Wahi, who is under investigation in a match-fixing case, remained on the bench. On the eve of the match, he received permission to enter Canada after the country's football federation had initially reported that he would be unable to cross the border from the United States.
Tunisia changed their coach on the eve of the match. The Tunisian national team played the 1,000th match in World Cup history under new coach Hervé Renard — he replaced Sabri Lamouchi, who was dismissed following the heavy 1:5 defeat to Sweden in the first round.
Today, June 21, the World Cup fixtures are: Spain vs. Saudi Arabia (Group H, 19:00 Kyiv time), Belgium vs. Iran (Group G, 22:00 Kyiv time), Uruguay vs. Cape Verde (Group H, 01:00 Kyiv time on June 22), and New Zealand vs. Egypt (Group G, 04:00 Kyiv time on June 22).
Photo: CBC · Editorial (source)
