Ecuador secures knockout stage berth
Ecuador has advanced to the knockout stage of the World Cup for the first time since 2006, following a 2-1 victory over Germany. The decisive goal came in the 77th minute from Gonzalo Plata, who poked the ball past Manuel Neuer. This win marks Ecuador‘s second time progressing past the group stage in the tournament’s history.
The match, held in East Rutherford, N.J., saw Germany take an early lead in the second minute with a goal from Leroy Sané. This early goal was notable in Germany‘s World Cup history, as only one other goal had been scored earlier in a match, nearly 100 years ago during the 1934 tournament. However, Ecuador quickly responded, with Nilson Angulo equalizing in the ninth minute, marking the team’s first goal of the tournament after a 1-0 loss to Ivory Coast and a 0-0 draw with Curaçao.
The atmosphere at MetLife Stadium was largely in favour of Ecuador, with a crowd of 80,663 in attendance. FIFA reported that this match boosted overall attendance for the expanded World Cup to a record 3,587,539 across 56 games.
Match incidents and team reactions
The game featured several key moments, including a play where Aleksandar Pavlović chested the ball and inadvertently kicked Pedro Vite in the head, though American referee Tori Penso did not call a foul. Pavlović then passed to Florian Wirtz, who centred the ball to Sané for Germany‘s opening goal. Later, Penso initially awarded Germany a penalty kick early in the second half after Joel Ordóñez fouled Kai Havertz, but a video review reversed the decision, citing an earlier foul by Sané on Vite.
Plata‘s winning goal came after Vite‘s corner kick was headed on by Kevin Rodríguez. Plata, a 25-year-old winger, expressed the team’s relief and determination, stating, “Life is different now. We suffered a lot.” He added that the team is now “more hungry, knowing we have to give it our all.” This goal was Plata‘s ninth international goal.
Germany‘s coach, Julian Nagelsmann, acknowledged the opponent’s desire, with midfielder Joshua Kimmich noting, “The difference was today that the opponent wanted to win more than us, and you could really feel it, especially in the second half.” The loss ended Germany‘s winning streak at 11 games, just one short of their team record from 1979-80.
Looking ahead for both teams
Ecuador finished third in Group E with four points and has lost only one of its last 22 games. The team is now preparing for a possible matchup with Mexico on Tuesday in Mexico City. Ecuador‘s coach, Sebastián Beccacece, an Argentine who has coached the team for two years, celebrated the victory with his wife, Patricia Persson, after facing criticism following the team’s initial performance in the tournament.
Germany, a four-time champion, had already secured advancement by winning its first two games. They will play their round of 32 game on Monday in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Their opponent is likely to be Paraguay, Australia, or Sweden. Germany‘s coach emphasized the importance of a strong start in their upcoming match, stating, “On Monday it’s important that we start well.”
The 40-year-old Germany goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer, who ended two years of international retirement for the World Cup, was in goal for the match.
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Source: sportsnet.ca
