WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina, June 22 (Reuters) - Germany's attacking midfielder Nadiem Amiri came on as a substitute, delivered an assist that led to an equaliser in their last-gasp 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast on Saturday and is now hoping his big moment was not just a flash in the pan at the World Cup.
The 29-year-old floated a ball for striker Deniz Undav to cancel out the Africans' 1-0 lead and Germany won the game to secure top spot in Group E and a place in the knockout stage ahead of their final match against Ecuador on Thursday.
"I think every player wants to start well in the tournament. I was not disappointed not to play against Curacao. I don't need a lot of minutes to get into the game and the Ivory Coast match was the perfect example," Amiri told a press conference on Monday. "It was a huge moment for me."
Germany have already qualified but Amiri said the match against Ecuador would be like a final for the team, eager to maintain their winning momentum, with the Germans havingwon their last 11 international matches.
Four-time world champions Germany, who made it to the knockout stage for the first time in 12 years, are on six points. The Ivory Coast are second on three, with Ecuador and Curacao on one point from their two matches.
Coach Julian Nagelsmann will have to make some changes to his lineup following the injury of central defender Nico Schlotterbeck while there are growing calls to bench midfielder Jamal Musiala as well following a lacklustre performance against Ivory Coast.
"Ecuador have a very good team but did not start well. We have to be prepared and I hope that I get more playing time but I am ready to be deployed as the coach sees fit," Amiri said.
"We have to stay in the flow because every win is good for us. It is an extremely important match for us with a lot of fans coming from Germany so we want to win it 100% and we will go in with maximum intensity," he said. "We are all prepared and that's how we approach it - like a final."
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; editing by Clare Fallon)
