Ecuador Stun Germany 2–1 as Gonzalo Plata Completes the Comeback
Germany could not have asked for a better start at MetLife Stadium — and could not have asked for a worse finish. Inside two minutes Leroy Sané swept the four-time world champions in front, and for a moment it looked as though Ecuador might be overwhelmed. Instead, the South Americans produced one of the results of the group stage.
Nilson Angulo levelled in the ninth minute, hauling Ecuador back into a contest they would gradually come to control. Playing with fearless, front-foot intent, they pushed a possession-heavy Germany side deeper and deeper, and increasingly found space to threaten on the counter.
The winner was fitting. Gonzalo Plata, Ecuador's brightest attacking spark all evening, struck in the 77th minute to send the Ecuadorian supporters in New Jersey into raptures. It capped a performance of real maturity — disciplined without the ball, ruthless with it, and entirely unshaken by the early setback.
For Germany, the result revives familiar doubts. A squad rich in talent once again struggled to impose control when the game demanded it, and an early lead counted for nothing. Questions about their balance and resilience will follow them into the knockout rounds.
For Ecuador, it is a statement. Beating Germany on this stage is the kind of result that defines a tournament and announces a generation. They travel on with momentum and belief — and few sides will relish drawing them in the Round of 32.
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