Ecuador stun Germany: Angulo and Plata complete a famous comeback to reach the last 32

Ecuador came from behind to beat Germany 2-1 at MetLife Stadium, Nilson Angulo's thunderbolt and Gonzalo Plata's late winner overturning Leroy Sané's early goal. The upset sends Ecuador into the knockouts, though Germany still top Group E on goal difference.

Ecuador pulled off the upset of the group stage. Trailing inside two minutes to a Leroy Sané strike, they came roaring back to beat Germany 2-1 at a packed MetLife Stadium, Nilson Angulo and Gonzalo Plata turning the game on its head and sending La Tri into the Round of 32.

It could hardly have started worse for the underdogs. Sané curled a clinical left-footed finish inside the opening two minutes, one minute and forty-nine seconds in, one of the fastest goals in German World Cup history. A lesser side might have folded.

Instead Ecuador answered almost at once. On nine minutes Angulo unleashed a thunderous strike from outside the box, the first goal of Ecuador's entire tournament, to level at 1-1 and announce that they had come to compete.

Germany pressed for a way back in front and thought they had found one early in the second half, awarded a penalty for a foul on Kai Havertz. A pitchside VAR review overturned it, and the momentum stayed with Ecuador.

The decisive moment came on seventy-seven minutes. A corner was half-cleared and deflected, and Plata reacted quickest to stab the ball past Manuel Neuer, sparking wild celebrations in the stands. Ecuador had their lead, and they would not let it slip.

There was a twist in the wider picture. Despite the defeat, Julian Nagelsmann's Germany still topped Group E on goal difference, their earlier goals keeping them ahead of Ivory Coast. The loss stung, but their seeding was safe.

For Ecuador, the win was salvation. It had not produced a single goal until this night, after a goalless draw with Curaçao and a loss to Ivory Coast, and suddenly the campaign was alive. From the brink of elimination to the knockouts in ninety dramatic minutes.

For Kenya, this was the romance of the World Cup distilled. An unfancied side, marshalled by Moisés Caicedo of Chelsea fame, toppling a giant. Neutrals love an upset, and Ecuador served a beauty. Mpira ni wa wote, hata wakubwa wanaweza kuanguka: football belongs to everyone, and even the giants can fall. Our South America round-one verdict rated the continent's strength, and Ecuador just proved it against the Germans.