世界杯：科特迪瓦先进球死守，替补翁达夫读秒绝杀，德国二比一逆转出线

Germany came from behind to beat Ivory Coast 2-1, a roller-coaster of a match full of drama.

It was full of drama because Germany trailed for a time, and only at the very last moment, thanks to a substitute's explosion, completed a nail-biting comeback.

Before the match, almost everyone thought Germany would win comfortably.

After all, Germany is a traditional power in world soccer, with strength and experience plain to see.

And their opponent Ivory Coast, though from Africa and less famous than Germany, is by no means a team to be underestimated.

They have excellent physical attributes, are very fast, and are dangerous on the counterattack.

In recent years, more and more African teams have shown real quality at the World Cup, and Ivory Coast is one of them.

For Germany, to win this match, they had to be fully switched on.

After the match began, the situation on the pitch stunned the Germany fans.

The first to score, surprisingly, was not Germany but Ivory Coast.

They seized a chance, and their player Kessie scored, making it one to zero.

For Germany, this opening was terrible.

They were title favorites, yet here they were conceding first to an African team and falling behind.

After falling behind, Germany immediately stepped up their attack, trying to equalize as soon as possible.

They controlled the ball, launching assault after assault at Ivory Coast's goal.

Crosses, long shots, corners — Germany used nearly every attacking method.

By the run of play, Germany held an absolute advantage, the ball in the opponent's half most of the time.

However, what truly counts in soccer is always goals, not dominance in the run of play.

Ivory Coast defended very resolutely, the whole team building an airtight wall in front of goal.

Their goalkeeper was heroic too, turning away several of Germany's sure-looking shots.

No matter how Germany attacked, they just couldn't break the opponent's goal for the longest time.

The minutes ticked by, yet the score stayed at one to zero.

The Germany fans in the stands grew more and more anxious, beginning to worry: would there be an upset today?

At this crucial moment, Germany's head coach made an important substitution.

He brought on a substitute striker, and this player's name was Undav.

A so-called substitute is a player who didn't start the match but was brought on midway.

No one expected that this very substitution would completely change the course of the match.

After Undav came on, the whole Germany attack seemed to be activated at once.

He ran tirelessly, with a great sense of position, always turning up in the most dangerous spots.

Before long, he seized a chance and put the ball into Ivory Coast's goal.

One to one — Germany had finally equalized, and hope rekindled across the ground.

This goal meant a lot to Germany; at least they were no longer behind.

The Germany fans in the stands rose again, roaring on their team.

But the story was far from over here.

The match stayed locked at one to one all the way to stoppage time.

Just as a draw seemed certain, Undav stepped up once more.

In the ninety-fourth minute, he received a teammate's pass and calmly scored again.

Two to one — Germany completed a stunning comeback as the match was about to end.

This goal was worth its weight in gold, because the time left for Ivory Coast to fight back was almost nothing.

In the end, the match finished two to one, and a tenacious Germany had the last laugh.

With this hard-earned victory, Germany locked up a qualifying spot early, advancing smoothly to the knockout round, and the whole team breathed a sigh of relief.

And the biggest hero of this match, without question, was the substitute Undav.

He scored two goals in a short span, almost single-handedly pulling the team back from the edge of a cliff.

A player scoring two goals in one match has a vivid name in Chinese: "méi kāi èr dù" (a brace).

Undav's brace this time is sure to be remembered by Germany fans for a long time.

Of course, Ivory Coast, who lost, deserve respect too.

They scored first and defended tenaciously for almost the whole match, coming just a hair away from causing an upset.

Sadly, they fell short at the final moment, unable to hold on to the precious draw.

For them, such a result was undoubtedly very cruel, the players unable to hide their dejection after the whistle.

But the fight and spirit they showed on the pitch still won plenty of applause.

After the match, everyone marveled at the cruelty and charm of soccer.

Some said that although Germany won, the inability to score for so long shows their attacking efficiency is a worry.

Others said that holding firm under pressure while behind and having the last laugh shows exactly that this Germany team has resilience.

Still others turned their eyes to Undav, believing his two goals proved his value and that he may earn more chances in the future.

And some said it was precisely Ivory Coast's tenacity that made this match so thrilling.

In fact, this is exactly the most captivating thing about soccer: as long as the final whistle hasn't blown, anything is possible.

Alright, that's the whole story of the Germany versus Ivory Coast match; see you next time.