Ecuador Beats Germany 2-1 to Reach World Cup Knockout Stage for First Time Since 2006

Ecuador rallied from an early deficit to beat Germany 2-1 on Thursday and reach the World Cup knockout stage for the first time since 2006, pulling off an upset over a traditional power even though Germany had already secured first place in Group E.

Germany struck almost immediately at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with Leroy Sané scoring about 1 minute, 50 seconds after kickoff. Ecuador responded quickly, leveling the match in the ninth minute through Nilson Angulo. The winner came in the 77th, when Pedro Vite’s corner was nodded on by Kevin Rodríguez and Gonzalo Plata poked the ball past goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

The result sent Ecuador into the round of 32 under the tournament’s expanded 48-team format, which advances the top two teams in each group plus the eight best third-place finishers. Ecuador finished third in Group E with four points and still moved on. Germany, which had won its first two group matches before Thursday, had already clinched the top spot in the group and advanced as the group winner despite the loss.

The key second-half turning point came when referee Tori Penso initially awarded Germany a penalty after Joel Ordóñez fouled Kai Havertz. After a video review, however, the decision was overturned because Sané had fouled Vite earlier in the move. Instead of having a chance to retake the lead from the spot, Germany stayed level, and Ecuador later found the winner. The defeat also ended Germany’s 11-match winning streak.

The other Group E match Thursday saw Ivory Coast beat Curaçao 2-0, leaving the final standings with Germany first, Ivory Coast second, Ecuador third and Curaçao fourth. For Ecuador, the more important line was its place in the knockout bracket: this is only the second time the national team has advanced beyond the World Cup group stage.

A crowd of 80,663 attended the match, with Ecuador supporters making up most of the noise as their team recovered from Sané’s early strike and held on to secure one of the most significant World Cup results in the country’s history.