The Ecuador national team became the author of one of the main sensations of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup, defeating Germany with a score of 2:1. Thanks to this victory, Ecuador advanced to the playoffs as the best team among those that finished third in their groups, reports UNN.
Details
The Germans opened the scoring in the 9th minute - after a pass from Florian Wirtz, Leroy Sané scored. However, at the end of the first half, Ecuador equalized: in the 43rd minute, Nilson Angulo scored after a pass from Pedro Vite.
In the second half, the teams created a number of dangerous chances. At the start of the half, the referee canceled a penalty awarded against Ecuador after a VAR review.
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The decisive goal was scored in the 77th minute. Gonzalo Plata, after a pass from Kevin Rodríguez, put Ecuador ahead, and the team held the winning score until the final whistle.
Germany first, Ecuador in the playoffs
Despite the defeat, the German national team retained first place in the group, as they had previously won their two opening matches and accumulated enough points to advance to the Round of 16.
In the parallel match, the Ivory Coast national team defeated Curaçao and finished second in the group, also securing a place in the playoffs.
Ecuador finished the group stage in third place, but based on the indicators among all teams that finished third, they are currently the best and will also continue the fight for the world champion title.
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