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FIFA World Cup 2026: Ecuador through to Ro32, beat heavyweights Germany 2-1 | FIFA World Cup 2026
Gonzalo 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 Thursday.
Germany, which clinched first place in Group E with victories in its first two games, went ahead on Leroy Sane’s second-minute goal. Nilson Angulo scored Ecuador’s first goal of the tournament in the ninth minute.
Plata scored after a corner kick was nodded on by Kevin Rodriguez. Neuer, the 40-year-old Germany goalkeeper who came out of international retirement for the World Cup, was about the grasp the ball when Plata raised his left foot and with a toe put the ball into the net.
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 2002.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First Published: Jun 26 2026 | 7:13 AM IST
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