Key events<\/p>\n
Germany get the ball rolling. It\u2019s an away match for them, and not just in bureaucratic terms. There are an estimated 55,000 Ecuador<\/a> supporters in this stadium tonight!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The teams are out at the New York New Jersey Stadium! The home of the Jets and the Giants (ordered that way to put the Guardian US sports editor in a good humour). It\u2019s hot, but not quite as hot as it\u2019s been in London today. Strange times. We\u2019ll be off once Ecuador<\/a> captain Mois\u00e9s Caicedo has handed over that lovely pennant to his opposite number Joshua Kimmich.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Pre-match postbag. \u201cWriting from Ecuador, I can say people are understandably disappointed with how the World Cup<\/a> has gone so far. After finishing second in qualifying, there was a feeling that this group could achieve something, but we were ignoring the unequal distribution of talent in the team: in the back, you have Pacho, who has won two Champions League titles, and Hincapie, who won the Bundesliga and the Premier League, and in the middle, you have Moises Caicedo. Up front, we still have 36-year-old Enner Valencia, who couldn\u2019t really do it at Everton 10 years ago. There\u2019s an exciting generation of Ecuadorian strikers, including the 16-year-old twins currently at Arsenal, but they\u2019re not yet ready. The country was hoping Germany would field their second string of players for this match; turns out they didn\u2019t. On another note, many attribute Ecuador\u2019s success in qualifying to Quito\u2019s altitude, but this overlooks the fact that most of Ecuador\u2019s players come from abroad, so they also have to adjust to the altitude. Also, under the current coach, Ecuador started playing home games in Guayaquil, which is at sea level\u201d \u2013 Matthew Carpenter-Arevalo<\/p>\n \u201cAs well as some underdogs have performed this World Cup there hasn\u2019t really been a big upset victory. Maybe today will be the day for that and if it happens, there would be no better occasion than Ecuador<\/a> in front of a crowd which is likely to be majority Ecuadorean due to the huge population living in New York and surrounding region\u201d \u2013 John in New York<\/p>\n \u201cIt would be good to have a bit of Ecuadorian bomba<\/a> in case they, erm, bomb out of the competition tonight\u201d \u2013 Charles Antaki<\/p>\n \u201cGermany\u2019s number 26 deserves to start. Undav story\u201d \u2013 Peter Oh (who else?)<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n For those Scotland supporters clinging onto hope \u2013 and what\u2019s the point of sport if you can\u2019t keep dreaming? \u2013 there\u2019s plenty riding on this game (and the other one in Group E) tonight. Providing neither Ecuador<\/a> nor Cura\u00e7ao win, the third-place finisher in this group cannot equal Scotland\u2019s three-point haul. So that\u2019d be one down, three to go for the Scots in their quest to keep their heads above water. But if Ecuador win, they\u2019d be on four points, while if that happens and Cura\u00e7ao beat C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire, Cura\u00e7ao would need to prevail by four goals to damage the African side\u2019s goal difference to the extent required to banish them below Scotland in the third-place table. Erm. That it\u2019s come to this for Steve Clarke and his men.<\/p>\n Oh Scotland. Photograph: PAShare<\/a><\/p>\n Ecuador being the designated home team, Germany will sport their navy away kit tonight. They could legitimately have run out in their famous white shirts, but the right thing has been done by colourblind fans: white v pastel is problematic, while blue v yellow is a good combination for people with colour blindness. The flecks on the shirt are mint, as is, in a manner of speaking, that lovely black tracky top.<\/p>\n The final away kit produced by Adidas for Germany, before Nike takes over in 2027. (No, that doesn\u2019t feel right, does it?) Photograph: Maddie Meyer\/FIFA\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Ecuador\u2019s match pennant is a thing of genuine beauty. Full disclosure: there was another photo on the wires with a better angle of it, but it cropped out the heads of the subjects in the framed picture, which seemed kind of wrong, so giving due respect to the artist Luigi Crosio, the Refugium Peccatorum Madonna and the baby Jesus, I\u2019m going with this one instead.<\/p>\n Refugium Peccatorum Madonna or the Refuge of Sinners Madonna (1898). Photograph: Maddie Meyer\/FIFA\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Ecuador make two changes to their starting XI after the goalless draw with Cura\u00e7ao. Joel Ord\u00f3\u00f1ez comes into the defence while Nilson Angulo joins the attack. Pervis Estupi\u00f1\u00e1n and Jordy Alc\u00edvar drop to the bench.<\/p>\n Germany also make two changes, but both of those are enforced. Central defender Nico Schlotterbeck is out of the World Cup<\/a> after suffering ligament damage, while left-back Nathaniel Brown has an adductor problem and isn\u2019t risked. Antonio R\u00fcdiger and David Raum take their places. Three-goal supersub Deniz Undav starts on the bench again.<\/p>\n Deniz Undav<\/a>Share<\/a>The teams<\/p>\n Ecuador: Galindez, Franco, Ordonez, Pacho, Hincapie, Yeboah, Vite, Moises Caicedo, Angulo, Plata, Enner Valencia. Germany: Neuer, Kimmich, Rudiger, Tah, Raum, Nmecha, Pavlovic, Sane, Musiala, Wirtz, Havertz. Referee: Tori Penso (USA).<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n \u2026 and now here\u2019s Ecuador\u2019s contribution to the story so far. It doesn\u2019t amount to much.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Here\u2019s how Germany<\/a> have done so far. That Livano Comenencia equaliser seems an awfully long time ago now.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Friends reunited. Reacquaint yourself with old pals from both squads.<\/p>\n
Subs: Ramirez, Valle, Torres, Alcivar, Estupinan, Anthony Valencia, Paez, Rodriguez, Minda, Jordy Caicedo, Preciado, Castillo, Arevalo, Porozo, Medina.<\/p>\n
Subs: Baumann, Nubel, Anton, Goretzka, Leweling, Woltemade, Gross, Beier, Stiller, Amiri, Thiaw, Ouedraogo, Undav.<\/p>\n