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Deniz Undav’s double earns Germany dramatic late win against Côte d’Ivoire
MatchesThe Guardian Football

Deniz Undav’s double earns Germany dramatic late win against Côte d’Ivoire

For the first time in more than a decade, Germany will play in the World Cup knockout stages. Their 2-1 victory at the death over Côte d’Ivoire in a lively tie here on Saturday saw to that. Franck Kessié’s 30th-minute goal for Les Éléphants was cancelled out by Deniz Undav’s 68th-minute equaliser and 94th-minute winner for Die Mannschaft. The victory put the four-time world champions on six…

Nygren left disappointed as Sweden thrashed by Dutch
MatchesYahoo Sports Soccer

Nygren left disappointed as Sweden thrashed by Dutch

Celtic midfielder Benjamin Nygren thought he had combined with former Parkhead centre-half Gustaf Lagerbielke to bring Sweden back into their World Cup group game against the Netherlands only to be thwarted by the offside flag in a 5-1 thrashing in Houston. The Dutch were ahead thanks to two goals from Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey when Nygren floated in a free-kick for Lagerbielke, now with…

Brobbey and Gakpo at the double as five-star Netherlands crush sorry Sweden
MatchesThe Guardian Football

Brobbey and Gakpo at the double as five-star Netherlands crush sorry Sweden

It turns out Sweden do not have a monopoly on old fashioned centre-forward play. They were schooled in it here by Brian Brobbey, who was brought in by Ronald Koeman to give their attack a focal point and swiftly made his under-pressure manager resemble a genius. Brobbey scored twice in the opening 17 minutes to pave the way for a crushing win, proving impossible to handle with a cocktail of…

The brilliant Michael Olise represents a key faultline in history of French football | Jonathan Wilson
MatchesThe Guardian Football

The brilliant Michael Olise represents a key faultline in history of French football | Jonathan Wilson

Unusually in the France side, he plays with a sense of freedom and has not yet submitted fully to Deschamps’s tactical yoke Michael Olisé is probably the best creative player in the world at the moment. He racked up 26 assists for Bayern Munich last season. It was his shift into a more central role that transformed France’s game against Senegal from drab slog to impressive victory. The confidence…