Sports

Bayern Munich News: Germany escapes with 2-1 victory thanks to Deniz Undav; Despite release, the rumors won’t stop with Real Madrid, Michael Olise; and MORE!

Nairavoice · Jun 21, 2026 · 14 min read

Germany did its best to flounder against Ivory Coast, but through some ineptitude there was resilience, there was heart, there was a never-say-die attitude — and there was also Deniz Undav.

Undav, the VfB Stuttgart star, is somehow a substitute on this squad, but he might be its most important player. Without him, the Germans would not have beaten Ivory Coast 2-1 and clinched a spot in the knockout round for the first time since 2014.

Let’s dive into the nitty gritty, here are some quick hitters on the match:

As always, let’s begin with a look at the starting XI:

Head coach Julian Nagelsmann changed nothing from the Curaçao match and that proved to be a risky question.
Within the first 30 seconds Havertz had a good (but tough) look and skied it.
As expected, the Yan Diomande-Joshua Kimmich matchup was going to be a tough one for the veteran, who was not going to be able to flow as freely as normal. Luckily, Diomande was making a lot of mistakes early on.
Havertz also had a good look with a header in the 10th minute, but Ivory Coast goalkeeper Yahia Fofana made a great diving save.
Nico Schlotterbeck had a first half injury scare, which eventually caused him to leave the game. Unfortunately, it seems like it could be enough to keep him out of the rest of the tournament, though nothing is set in stone as of yet.
Musiala had a good look in the 18th minute, but fired just wide.
Both teams made a lot of mistakes in the early going. Germany had the advantage and was better, but there was an underlying feeling that the Germans needed to convert some of these chances before Ivory Coast could have a chance to turn the tide.
Unfortunately for Germany, that is exactly what happened. Diomande beat Kimmich, whipped in a cross to Amad Diallo, but Neuer made a great, close-range stop, which rebounded right to Franck Kessié, who scored to make it 1-0 in the 30th minute. Diomande was not going to scuffle forever.
This was always the danger of playing Kimmich at right-back, a position he does not regularly play for Bayern Munich. Nagelsmann’s refusal to add a true right-back to the roster hurt in a moment like this.
Ange-Yoan Bonny had a terrific look, but Neuer made a big stop as well. Germany’s backline was essentially Keystone Kops for stretches once Ivory Coast got its bearings in the game.
Meanwhile, Germany’s attack lacked…a lot. Creativity, finishing, movement, precision…all of it.
As noted, Schlotterbeck had to leave at halftime and was replaced by Antonio Rüdiger. Credit to Rüdiger, he helped keep it all together,
The game was kind of stagnant for Germany with no good ideas until Nagelsmann went to his bench. Deniz Undav came on for Musiala, Nadiem Amiri for Aleksandar Pavlović, Jamie Leweling for Leroy Sané.
I want to be very clear on Musiala — he was a great player and he can still be a great player. He is just not a great player right now. With his physical state and skill-set, he should be playing wing. Ivory Coast was just beating him up and that does not suit him. Start him at wing next game and start Undav over Sané.
Musiala was not terrible in this game, but he was not great, either. Playing centrally is not getting the best out of what he is at the moment. For Musiala and Wirtz (who had a bad start, but gradually got better), the thought that they were ready to lead this team was premature. It will happen in the next cycle.
Sané had a few moments, but is not giving this team enough, but this should not be a surprise. It is very similar to his final season at Bayern Munich.
Havertz did not give Germany much either. You could argue that he was the weakest of the starting attackers.
The elephant in the room is Pavlović, who has not dictated tempo of any game yet (the rout of Curaçao notwithstanding). The jump that this writer expected (and predicted) he would make at the World Cup has not happened. Felix Nmecha has been better than Pavlo (especially in this game), but it would be tough to say he is ready to take the reins and be the man right now as the leader of the central midfield.
Undav made a terrific run into a diagonal cross from Amiri to knot the game at 1-1 in the 68th minute. WHY IS THIS MAN NOT STARTING?
At that point, Undav now had eight goals in his last eight games…and barely any of us believe he will get a start in the next game. Welcome to the #NagsEra.
The subs came in and immediately played smarter, had better movement, and instilled a sense of urgency into the game that was lacking. Nagelsmann had to re-think his starting XI.
Leon Goretzka, who came on for Havertz saved the game with Germany with some some great work defensively in tracking back to thwart what should have been an easy goal for Ivory Coast.
Nathaniel Brown could have won the game easily in the 89th minute, but did not get a good piece of his shot.
In the 4th minute of added time, Undav would do it again. Nmecha rifled a pass at him and Undav handled it brilliantly before whipping in a left-footed shot for a 2-1 lead.
GIVE THAT MAN A STARTING JOB!
Overall, Germany seems like it might be winning in spite of its coach and his decisions. It is awesome that the team is 2-0, but this game should not have been as close as it was. Ivory Coast was stumbling its way through the match at times. Germany’s starting XI — as a whole — lacks chemistry and appears disjointed at times. Hopefully, the squad can work through this. If not, even Ecuador could prove to be a headache for the Germans. It was frustrating, no doubt, but at least they pulled out a win — all on the back of some grit, heart, and the goal scoring ability of Undav.

Head coach Julian Nagelsmann changed nothing from the Curaçao match and that proved to be a risky question.

Within the first 30 seconds Havertz had a good (but tough) look and skied it.

As expected, the Yan Diomande-Joshua Kimmich matchup was going to be a tough one for the veteran, who was not going to be able to flow as freely as normal. Luckily, Diomande was making a lot of mistakes early on.

Havertz also had a good look with a header in the 10th minute, but Ivory Coast goalkeeper Yahia Fofana made a great diving save.

Nico Schlotterbeck had a first half injury scare, which eventually caused him to leave the game. Unfortunately, it seems like it could be enough to keep him out of the rest of the tournament, though nothing is set in stone as of yet.

Musiala had a good look in the 18th minute, but fired just wide.

Both teams made a lot of mistakes in the early going. Germany had the advantage and was better, but there was an underlying feeling that the Germans needed to convert some of these chances before Ivory Coast could have a chance to turn the tide.

Unfortunately for Germany, that is exactly what happened. Diomande beat Kimmich, whipped in a cross to Amad Diallo, but Neuer made a great, close-range stop, which rebounded right to Franck Kessié, who scored to make it 1-0 in the 30th minute. Diomande was not going to scuffle forever.

This was always the danger of playing Kimmich at right-back, a position he does not regularly play for Bayern Munich. Nagelsmann’s refusal to add a true right-back to the roster hurt in a moment like this.

Ange-Yoan Bonny had a terrific look, but Neuer made a big stop as well. Germany’s backline was essentially Keystone Kops for stretches once Ivory Coast got its bearings in the game.

Meanwhile, Germany’s attack lacked…a lot. Creativity, finishing, movement, precision…all of it.

As noted, Schlotterbeck had to leave at halftime and was replaced by Antonio Rüdiger. Credit to Rüdiger, he helped keep it all together,

The game was kind of stagnant for Germany with no good ideas until Nagelsmann went to his bench. Deniz Undav came on for Musiala, Nadiem Amiri for Aleksandar Pavlović, Jamie Leweling for Leroy Sané.

I want to be very clear on Musiala — he was a great player and he can still be a great player. He is just not a great player right now. With his physical state and skill-set, he should be playing wing. Ivory Coast was just beating him up and that does not suit him. Start him at wing next game and start Undav over Sané.

Musiala was not terrible in this game, but he was not great, either. Playing centrally is not getting the best out of what he is at the moment. For Musiala and Wirtz (who had a bad start, but gradually got better), the thought that they were ready to lead this team was premature. It will happen in the next cycle.

Sané had a few moments, but is not giving this team enough, but this should not be a surprise. It is very similar to his final season at Bayern Munich.

Havertz did not give Germany much either. You could argue that he was the weakest of the starting attackers.

The elephant in the room is Pavlović, who has not dictated tempo of any game yet (the rout of Curaçao notwithstanding). The jump that this writer expected (and predicted) he would make at the World Cup has not happened. Felix Nmecha has been better than Pavlo (especially in this game), but it would be tough to say he is ready to take the reins and be the man right now as the leader of the central midfield.

Undav made a terrific run into a diagonal cross from Amiri to knot the game at 1-1 in the 68th minute. WHY IS THIS MAN NOT STARTING?

At that point, Undav now had eight goals in his last eight games…and barely any of us believe he will get a start in the next game. Welcome to the #NagsEra.

The subs came in and immediately played smarter, had better movement, and instilled a sense of urgency into the game that was lacking. Nagelsmann had to re-think his starting XI.

Leon Goretzka, who came on for Havertz saved the game with Germany with some some great work defensively in tracking back to thwart what should have been an easy goal for Ivory Coast.

Nathaniel Brown could have won the game easily in the 89th minute, but did not get a good piece of his shot.

In the 4th minute of added time, Undav would do it again. Nmecha rifled a pass at him and Undav handled it brilliantly before whipping in a left-footed shot for a 2-1 lead.

Overall, Germany seems like it might be winning in spite of its coach and his decisions. It is awesome that the team is 2-0, but this game should not have been as close as it was. Ivory Coast was stumbling its way through the match at times. Germany’s starting XI — as a whole — lacks chemistry and appears disjointed at times. Hopefully, the squad can work through this. If not, even Ecuador could prove to be a headache for the Germans. It was frustrating, no doubt, but at least they pulled out a win — all on the back of some grit, heart, and the goal scoring ability of Undav.

If you missed our Initial Analysis, Match Awards, Observations, or Postgame Podcast, give them a look or a listen:

On Saturday, Real Madrid categorically denied that it had reached out to Bayern Munich star Michael Olise about a transfer. Acknowledging that story, we had previously heard rumors that Real Madrid was preparing to pay €200 million for Olise, but that might have been wrong. If true, the number could actually be €220 million:

Real Madrid could offer up to €220 million for Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise, according to Marca. The Spanish outlet reports that Los Blancos’ €150m offer for Atlético Madrid striker Julián Álvarez was a bluff designed to complicate Barcelona‘s attempt to sign him, rather than a genuine attempt to bring in the Argentina international. Olise ticks all of Real Madrid’s boxes as he already has a partnership with Kylian Mbappé with the France national team, plays on the right and, as a 24-year-old rising star, still has room to develop. A fee of €220m would be just €2m below the world-record amount that Paris Saint-Germain paid to sign Neymar from Barcelona in 2017.

Real Madrid could offer up to €220 million for Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise, according to Marca. The Spanish outlet reports that Los Blancos’ €150m offer for Atlético Madrid striker Julián Álvarez was a bluff designed to complicate Barcelona‘s attempt to sign him, rather than a genuine attempt to bring in the Argentina international. Olise ticks all of Real Madrid’s boxes as he already has a partnership with Kylian Mbappé with the France national team, plays on the right and, as a 24-year-old rising star, still has room to develop. A fee of €220m would be just €2m below the world-record amount that Paris Saint-Germain paid to sign Neymar from Barcelona in 2017.

This would be a wild bid from Real Madrid, but things do seem to be getting crazy (desperate?) with Los Blancos. Having to issue two press releases over transfer rumors is also wild, but Madrid is in the midst of some crazy times it seems.

Everton could be thinking about an acquisition of former RB Leipzig striker Lois Openda:

Everton are “exploring” the possibility of signing Juventus striker Lois Openda on a loan-to-buy deal, sources have told Football Insider.

The Italian giants are desperate to offload the Belgian, and it is understood that the Toffees have the money to make a deal happen this summer.

Everton are “exploring” the possibility of signing Juventus striker Lois Openda on a loan-to-buy deal, sources have told Football Insider.

The Italian giants are desperate to offload the Belgian, and it is understood that the Toffees have the money to make a deal happen this summer.

Micky van de Ven is a guy who would look great on Bayern Munich’s back line and, as it turns out, he really could be considering an exit from Tottenham Hotspur. Unfortunately, FC Barcelona and Liverpool are the two clubs attempting to get in early on the Dutchman:

Barcelona and Liverpool are knocking on the door for Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Micky van de Ven, De Telegraaf reports. The two clubs want to take advantage of an impasse in the 25-year-old’s contract talks with Spurs. The Netherlands international, who played the full 90 minutes during the 2-2 draw against Japan, has continued to receive interest despite Tottenham’s underwhelming season.

Barcelona and Liverpool are knocking on the door for Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Micky van de Ven, De Telegraaf reports. The two clubs want to take advantage of an impasse in the 25-year-old’s contract talks with Spurs. The Netherlands international, who played the full 90 minutes during the 2-2 draw against Japan, has continued to receive interest despite Tottenham’s underwhelming season.

Former Bayern Munich backup striker Nicolas Jackson is rumored to be an option to be put into a deal between Chelsea and Juventus:

Chelsea will offer striker Nicolas Jackson to Juventus as part of their efforts to sign Andrea Cambiaso this summer. With talks underway, Chelsea are currently offering €28million (£24.2m) with Juventus under pressure to balance their books before the end of the month. The Serie A giants however want a fee closer to €40m (£34.6m) for Cambiaso.

Chelsea will offer striker Nicolas Jackson to Juventus as part of their efforts to sign Andrea Cambiaso this summer. With talks underway, Chelsea are currently offering €28million (£24.2m) with Juventus under pressure to balance their books before the end of the month. The Serie A giants however want a fee closer to €40m (£34.6m) for Cambiaso.

Atlético Madrid striker Julián Álvarez is still rumored to be wanting a move to FC Barcelona:

Atlético Madrid striker Julián Álvarez is still keen to join Barcelona, according to Mundo Deportivo. Los Colchoneros aren’t completely opposed to letting the 26-year-old leave but are trying to steer him away from Camp Nou, as they see Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal as more favourable destinations. Even so, Barça are aware that signing Álvarez will be difficult unless he makes a public statement about his desire to leave Atleti.

Atlético Madrid striker Julián Álvarez is still keen to join Barcelona, according to Mundo Deportivo. Los Colchoneros aren’t completely opposed to letting the 26-year-old leave but are trying to steer him away from Camp Nou, as they see Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal as more favourable destinations. Even so, Barça are aware that signing Álvarez will be difficult unless he makes a public statement about his desire to leave Atleti.