Simple recipe for Germany's goals: Just field Deniz Undav

Kai Havertz came to the World Cup as Julian Nagelsmann's primary attacking option. Nick Woltemade was seen as his understudy and a player who could cause panic among the rivals coming off the bench. However, both were overshadowed by a still little-known name in football - Deniz Undav.

Perhaps because he failed at Brighton, or because he plays for Stuttgart - which is not a giant at the level of Bayern Munich nor Borussia Dortmund - or because he had to grind his way through the lower tiers of German football, or because he didn't make his national team debut until the age of 27 - the 29-year-old wasn't in the spotlight.

At the World Cup, he decided to change his fortunes and become the epitome of the saying Through hardships to the stars.

The opener against Curacao was a walk in the park for Die Mannschaft. In a 7-1 win, Undav got 26 minutes on the pitch as a sub and recorded a goal and two assists in that limited time.

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Nevertheless, the clash with the Ivory Coast was a much more challenging task for Germany, and Nagelsmann and his men realized it when Franck Kessie put the Elephants in front at the half-hour mark.

Once again, Undav had to come off the bench to rescue Germany. He replaced Jamal Musiala in the 60th minute, levelled the score eight minutes later, and then scored the winner in the fourth minute of added time, securing the top of Group E for Die Mannschaft.

However, his impact on the national team goes far beyond the impressive return of three goals and two assists in just over an hour of action at the World Cup.

Believe it or not, every goal Germany scored with Undav on the pitch was either scored or assisted by him!

In 11 appearances for Die Mannschaft, he has played 427 minutes, during which Germany have scored 13 goals - with Undav contributing 9 goals and 4 assists!

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The matches against Curacao and the Ivory Coast were only another display of his dominance in the Germany shirt. The Netherlands, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ghana, and Finland felt his power firsthand in the last two years.

So the conclusion is clear - and so is the formula Julian Nagelsmann should stick to: start Undav and watch him work his magic.

WORLD CUP - GROUP STAGE (ROUND 3)

Group E

Thursday

23.00: (16.0) Curacao (7.50) Ivory Coast (1.18)

23.00: (4.20) Ecuador (3.60) Germany (1.95)

***odds are subject to change***