Ecuador defeated four-time champion Germany. (Photo- GETTY)
Ecuador vs Germany: Ecuador created history in an exciting and high-voltage match of Group E of the FIFA World Cup 2026. In this breath-taking match played at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, Ecuador gave a strong performance by defeating the football giant Germany 2-1 and got the ticket to the knockout (round of 32) stage of the tournament. The Ecuadorian team, which did not score a single goal in its first two matches, managed to cause a big upset in this match.
The beginning of the match was good for Germany. Within just two minutes of the match starting, Leroy Sane scored a goal to give his team a 1-0 lead. However, Ecuador's players were very angry about this goal because a controversial foul had taken place before it, which was ignored by the referee. Ecuador soon equalized in the counter-attack. Winger Nilsson Angulo made a brilliant shot from 20 yards and passed the ball past German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to make the score 1-1. This goal breathed new life into the Ecuadorian team.
In the second half, both the teams kept fighting for victory. Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann made changes, but Ecuador's players kept up the pressure. In the last moments of the match, Ecuador attacked from a corner around the 77th minute. After Kevin Rodriguez's header, Gonzalo Plata scored from close distance to give his team a thrilling 2-1 lead. With this victory, Ecuador joined the eight best third teams to reach the knockout stage of the World Cup. This is the second time for Ecuador to reach the knockout stage.
Despite this defeat, the German team remained first in Group-E and now it will face the third-placed team in the next round. This match will be the first knockout match for Germany since 2014, when they won the World Cup title. In the last two editions, she was eliminated from the group stage itself.
