Record-breaking crowds witnessed a historic World Cup heist as a gritty Ecuador stunned four-time champions Germany 2-1 at the MetLife Stadium on Friday, sealing a dramatic berth in the knockout stages.
In a match that saw a record 80,663 fans push total tournament attendance past the 1994 US edition's milestone, Gonzalo Plata emerged as the ultimate hero. The winger scored a 77th-minute winner to orchestrate La Tri's great escape, booking their first round-of-16 ticket since 2006.
The night started disastrously for Ecuador. Germany hit the front just 1 minute and 50 seconds into the game when Leroy Sane fired home his 18th international goal. The buildup caused controversy as Aleksandar Pavlovic appeared to kick Pedro Vite following a throw-in, but American referee Tori Penso waved play on. Pavlovic found Florian Wirtz, who set up Sané inside the box. During the melee, Plata even took a painful kick to the head.
However, Ecuador refused to back down and hit back in the ninth minute. Felix Nmecha lost possession in midfield to Vite, who quickly fed Nilson Angulo. The forward dribbled with intent and beat Germany's 40-year-old veteran keeper Manuel Neuer from just outside the penalty area to level the scores.
The second half began with high drama when referee Penso awarded Germany a penalty 30 seconds after the restart for Joel Ordonez’s foul on Kai Havertz. However, a VAR review overturned the decision, revealing Sane had fouled Vite in the buildup.
The definitive moment arrived 13 minutes from time. Off a Pedro Vite corner, Kevin Rodriguez nodded the ball across the face of the goal. Neuer moved to collect it, but a persistent Plata poked it past the iconic goalkeeper with his left toe, sending coach Sebastián Beccacece running into the stands to celebrate.
The victory ended Germany’s 11-game winning streak. While Germany still tops Group E with six points, Ecuador finishes third with four, gurantee to advance into the next round.
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