Germany’s final minute goal against Ivory Coast thrills Toronto crowd

The roar of the crowd hit 100 decibels at kick off — the equivalent of being in a nightclub in an open air stadium — as Germany went on the attack in its Saturday clash with Ivory Coast.

The booing was even louder in the 38th minute as referee Juan Gabriel Benitez Mareco called back a German goal for the second time. 

But the German fans, who outnumbered their rivals at Toronto Stadium to the extent it felt like a home game, were not to be denied a win.

Germany stormed back and striker Deniz Undav scored twice, including the final blow in the dying minutes of extra time, to lead his team to a 2-1 win.

"Every fan was behind them. Every single fan was cheering on every single pass," German fan Sarj Das said moments after the game.

Germany's triumph marked the halfway point for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Toronto and soccer fans lucky enough to get a ticket have been treated to three games packed with drama.

Off the pitch, the city appears to be holding up well. There’s been no traffic calamity nor widespread chaos — or at least, not the bad kind. The city has seen plenty of explosions of soccer-inspired joy, from Canadian fans firing off red flares during their march to Ghana fans taking over Sankofa Square to today, as German fans danced in the stands and their heroes saluted them from the pitch.

Toronto police do say they have charged several people caught flying drones near the stadium.

The biggest transit disruption on Saturday? It was caused by 5,000 German fans marching along the waterfront from Amsterdam Brewhouse to Toronto Stadium.

Plenty of Germans made the trip to Toronto for the game, many saying they’ll follow their squad wherever it goes. 

Toronto offers a rare chance to see the national team (ranked 9th in