![\"Ecuador's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ecuadors-gonzalo-plata-center-right-celebrates-scoring-his-s-I7B75DFQ7ZEKZGNQM7NN7KRXEY.jpg\")
<\/p>\nGonzalo Plata poked the ball past Manuel Neuer in the 77th minute and Ecuador advanced to the knockout stage of the World Cup by rallying for a 2-1 win over Germany on Friday.<\/p>\n
Germany, which clinched first place in Group E with victories in its first two games, went ahead on Leroy San\u00e9’s second-minute goal. Nilson Angulo scored Ecuador’s first goal of the tournament in the ninth minute.<\/p>\n
Plata, who took a kick to the head when Germany scored its early goal, keyed Ecuador’s great escape after Pedro Vite’s corner kick was nodded on by Kevin Rodr\u00edguez. Neuer, the 40-year-old German goalkeeper who came out of international retirement for the World Cup, was about to grasp the ball when Plata raised his left foot and, with a toe, put the ball into the net.<\/p>\n
Ecuador coach Sebasti\u00e1n Beccacece ran to the stands to celebrate.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ecuador’s Gonzalo Plata, center right, celebrates scoring his side’s second goal against Germany during the World Cup Group E match. (Source: Associated Press)<\/p>\n
Ecuador finished third in the group with four points and advanced past the group stage for the second time, the first since a round-of-16 game in 2006.<\/p>\n
Germany\u2019s winning streak was stopped at 11 games, one shy of the team record set in 1979-80. The four-time champions will play their round-of-32 game on Tuesday in Foxborough, Massachusetts, most likely against Paraguay, Australia or Sweden.<\/p>\n
A crowd of 80,663 at MetLife Stadium, mostly in Ecuador’s yellow, boosted attendance to a record 3,587,539 in the 56th game of the expanded tournament, one more than the 52 matches in the 1994 tournament in the US.<\/p>\n
![\"cuador's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/cuadors-gonzalo-plata-19-celebrates-scoring-his-sides-second-D3NYIANHXFDO5ASGTLT3F5HIJQ.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
cuador’s Gonzalo Plata (19) celebrates scoring his side’s second goal against Germany during the World Cup Group E match. (Source: Associated Press)<\/p>\n
San\u00e9 put Germany ahead about 1 minute, 50 seconds in with his 18th international goal. Aleksandar Pavlovi\u0107 had chested the ball and kicked Vite following Nathaniel Brown\u2019s throw-in, but there was no foul call by American referee Tori Penso. Pavlovi\u0107 passed to Florian Wirtz, who centred to San\u00e9 just inside the penalty area.<\/p>\n
Angulo scored a short time later after Felix Nmecha lost the ball in midfield to Vite. He passed it to Angulo, who dribbled toward goal and beat Neuer to the far post from just outside the area.<\/p>\n
Penso originally awarded Germany a penalty kick less than 30 seconds into the second half after Joel Ord\u00f3\u00f1ez took down Kai Havertz, but after a video review ruled San\u00e9 had first fouled Vite.<\/p>\n