On June 26, Ecuador defeated Germany 2-1 in their final group stage match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the New York/New Jersey Stadium.
Germany opened the scoring just two minutes into the match when Leroy Sané found the net with a left-footed shot after receiving a pass from Florian Wirtz. However, their lead was short-lived.
In the seventh minute, Pedro Vite intercepted a pass from Felix Nmecha and set up Nilson Angulo, who equalized with a precise shot from outside the penalty area.
The momentum shifted in favor of Ecuador as Kevin Rodriguez headed the ball to Gonzalo Plata, who scored with a deft touch in front of goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
With this win, Ecuador finished the group stage with one win, one draw, and one loss, earning four points (goal difference 0) and securing third place in Group E.
As of this match, Ecuador ranked first among the third-place teams across 12 groups.
In contrast, South Korea, with one win and two losses (two goals scored, three conceded), ended up with three points (goal difference -1) and fell to fifth place in the competition for one of the eight spots allocated to the top third-place teams.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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