SOCCER: Substitute Undav snatches late winner for Germany in 2-1 victory over Ghana

STUTTGART, Germany — Germany forward Deniz Undav came off the bench to score an 88th-minute winner, helping the hosts edge Ghana 2-1 in a friendly on Monday and boosting his hopes of making the World Cup squad.

The VfB Stuttgart striker, second on the Bundesliga scoring charts with 18 goals, capitalized on a second-half substitution in front of a home crowd, flicking the ball over the Ghana goalkeeper for the decisive strike.

Undav’s late heroics came after Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann raised eyebrows last Friday by leaving him on the bench in a 4-3 win over Switzerland.

“A perfect evening. It was amazing to hear the fans’ support,” Undav said. “I came in and scored, but what matters most is that we won the game.”

When asked about potentially accepting a substitute role at the World Cup, Undav said he had spoken with Nagelsmann about his position. “I accept my role, and maybe if I score more goals like this, it could change, who knows,” he added.

Havertz Converts Early Penalty

Germany started strongly, with forward Nick Woltemade — who has struggled for form at Newcastle United — starting ahead of Undav. They took the lead just before halftime when Kai Havertz converted a stoppage-time penalty, giving the hosts a deserved advantage.

Woltemade nearly doubled the lead early in the second half with a powerful header that hit the crossbar. But Germany lacked the intensity they had shown against Switzerland, allowing Ghana to gradually create opportunities.

Ghana equalized in the 70th minute, with substitute Abdul Fatawu tapping in a fine cross from Derrick Koehn. Teenager Lennart Karl came close to restoring Germany’s lead in the 86th minute, but his shot went narrowly wide.

It was Undav, whose name had been chanted by fans throughout the match, who finally secured the victory with a late, memorable finish.

“We now have to start analysing our World Cup opponents,” Nagelsmann said. “We have time to monitor players and make the final squad decision in May.”

Germany, who last won a major international tournament in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, are drawn in Group E with Ecuador, Curacao, and Ivory Coast for the June 11–July 19 tournament. They open the competition in Houston, Texas, against Curacao on June 14, before facing Ivory Coast in Toronto on June 20 and Ecuador in New York on June 25.

Ghana will compete in Group L alongside Croatia, England, and Panama.

-Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Toby Davis/Reuters