Viewed from Toronto, the German bench erupted in the closing minutes as substitute Deniz Undav turned a nervy group-stage match on its head. Ivory Coast, leading through Franck Kessié’s early strike, had frustrated Julian Nagelsmann’s side for long stretches. But Undav’s double—a calm finish and a clever second in stoppage time—secured a 2-1 win, and when Curaçao’s goalless draw with Ecuador filtered through the stadium, Germany could celebrate winning Group E with a match to spare. For a nation scarred by group-stage exits in 2018 and 2022, the relief was palpable.

Yet the night’s defining image was not Undav’s winner but Nico Schlotterbeck limping off at half-time. The Borussia Dortmund centre-back, pivotal in Nagelsmann’s defensive set-up, had clashed with Amad Diallo inside the first quarter of an hour. He received treatment on the pitch, soldiered on until the interval, but was replaced by Antonio Rüdiger. Nagelsmann’s post-match update was grim: “He has something in the inner ligament, I don’t know exactly what. He’ll have an MRI tomorrow; unfortunately, it doesn’t look good.” The 26-year-old missed almost half a year in 2025 after a meniscus tear in the same left knee, and early fears in the German camp are that he may not feature again this tournament.

The injury is a severe blow to a side that had barely put a foot wrong. Schlotterbeck’s partnership with Jonathan Tah had underpinned a flawless qualification campaign and a 7-1 opening demolition of Curaçao. His sudden absence, with a round-of-16 fixture looming, forces Nagelsmann into a rethink. The coach admitted he had kept the defender on for tactical reasons until the break, praising his performance, but the sight of Rüdiger preparing to come on underlined the fragility of tournament football.

In Germany, newspapers dissected the moment frame by frame, noting the awkward angle at which Schlotterbeck’s knee buckled. Across the Atlantic, Argentine and Brazilian outlets highlighted a bittersweet qualification—Die Mannschaft’s firepower was undimmed, yet the loss of a defensive cornerstone exposed familiar vulnerabilities. Indonesian reports, reflecting Asian interest in the World Cup, focused on the defender’s leadership role and the anxious wait for scan results. There was consensus on one point: the MRI would largely dictate Germany’s mood in the days ahead.

Germany now faces Ecuador on Thursday in New Jersey with top spot already assured, a dead rubber that Nagelsmann might use to rest key players. But all eyes will be on the medical bulletin. If Schlotterbeck’s ligament damage is as severe as feared, the four-time champions will head into the knockout phase without a linchpin, a scenario that could reshape expectations in a tournament that had begun so promisingly.