Deniz Undav rescued Germany with two substitute goals, securing a late victory against Ivory Coast. National coach Julian Nagelsmann should not do without this unique weapon in the further course of the tournament. A commentary.
In terms of goal celebrations, Deniz Undav could still learn a thing or two from Roger Milla. The then 38-year-old became the epitome of the super-sub during Cameroon’s sensational quarter-final run at the 1990 World Cup, and at the same time, the inventor of the choreographed goal celebration: to celebrate his goals, he always danced with swaying hips around Italy’s corner flags.
Milla collected five scorer points as a substitute back then. That was a sole World Cup record for a long time, but then came Deniz. One goal and two assists against Curaçao, two goals against Ivory Coast. A record set in exactly 56 minutes of play.
In his greatest moment to date, Undav did not perform any dance or any other special celebration. After the winning goal against Ivory Coast deep into stoppage time, it seemed as if he didn’t know what to do with himself. First, he spread his arms, then he pointed with his right index finger that there was no offside, jogged a bit backward, and then all thoughts of celebration were already obsolete because the entire German squad, rushing in wildly, threw themselves at him.
Deniz Undav is a Weapon No Other Nation Possesses
After a long and disappointing performance from the DFB team, Undav made the difference with his late brace against Ivory Coast. Germany has now reached the knockout stage of a World Cup for the first time since winning the title in 2014, and thanks to Ecuador’s slip-up against Curaçao, they have even secured first place in the group prematurely.
Even after his three substitute scorer points in the 7-1 opening win against Curaçao, there was a discussion about whether Undav might not have earned a starting spot. At the very latest, after his performance against the significantly stronger Ivory Coast, this question has been answered: Yes, he undoubtedly deserved it. Undav himself evaded follow-up questions about this in Toronto, and national coach Julian Nagelsmann said: «That is absolutely within the realm of possibility.»
Precisely because of his latest super-sub gala, Nagelsmann should not falter now, but rather do the opposite. With the 29-year-old from Stuttgart, the national coach has a guaranteed ray of hope in reserve, regardless of the score. The fans were already cheering him on with chants against Ivory Coast before his substitution. When Undav comes onto the pitch, it automatically gives the German team a boost. At the same time, opponents are, of course, aware of his impressive statistics.
Undav would certainly also help in the starting lineup – but as a super-sub, he is a weapon that no other nation possesses. Nagelsmann should not deprive himself of this weapon.
DFB Team: Julian Nagelsmann Should Bench Leroy Sane Now
However, Super-sub Undav, the late victory, and the overall impressive mentality of the team should not mask the long, disappointing performance against Ivory Coast. Defensively, the DFB team repeatedly appeared shaky, and offensively, it was uninspired for a long time.
It should be very convenient for Nagelsmann that his team has already secured first place in the group before the third preliminary round match. Against Ecuador, they can continue to find their footing without pressure. In this regard, it would be advisable not to rotate too much and, above all, to keep the three undisputed offensive players Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz, and Kai Havertz in the starting lineup together, given their importance and talent.
At the same time, it would make sense to test an alternative on the right wing to the highly polarizing Leroy Sané, who was again disappointing offensively against Ivory Coast. Using the pretext of the sporting insignificance of the Ecuador match, Nagelsmann can, despite all his loyalty and praise for his defensive work, even remove him from the starting lineup without losing face – and see how Jamie Leweling, for example, performs there.