Ecuador stun Germany 2-1, but Germany still top Group E
Ecuador came from behind to beat Germany in the final round, yet Germany finished Group E in first place despite the loss. Curacao are out, Ivory Coast advance.
- Ecuador came from behind to beat Germany 2-1 in the final round of Group E.
- Germany still finished the group first with 6 points and reached the knockout stage.
- Ivory Coast also booked a last-32 spot with a 2-0 win over Curacao.
- Ecuador went through with 4 points, while Curacao were eliminated bottom of the group.
The stands are a wall of yellow, and yet the scoreboard already reads 0-1 for Germany inside two minutes. Leroy Sane fired in as if he wanted to lock the game away before it had even warmed up. And then came the thing football is watched for. Ecuador did not drop their heads. They put the ball on the floor and started to play.
Nine minutes later Nilson Angulo dragged it all back to square one. The stadium erupted, and Germany suddenly realised there would be no easy stroll tonight. The South Americans pressed high and forced the four-time winners to defend a single point as if their lives depended on it. They did not, and that is the whole point of this strange evening.
The comeback that froze the Germans
The second half looked like a siege. Ecuador pushed, Germany dropped deeper and deeper, and then in the 77th minute Gonzalo Plata put the seal on it. A fine goal, a deserved turnaround, 2-1 and bedlam on the Ecuador bench.
It is a win to remember, but let us clear up the table straight away, because the table is the real protagonist here. Despite the defeat, Germany finished Group E in first place with six points. It sounds absurd, but maths is maths. The Germans had done their work in the first two rounds, so they could afford the luxury of losing the last match and still finishing top.
Ecuador turned their win into qualification with four points. The other ticket out of the group went to Ivory Coast, who at the same time saw off Curacao 2-0 to reach the last 32. Curacao, the smallest nation ever to play at a World Cup, stay rooted to the bottom and pack their bags. The adventure is over, but it is a story they will tell for a long time.
If you look at the numbers, Ecuador won the duel in almost every department except the scoreboard in those first nine minutes. More possession, a more aggressive press, a cooler head in the closing stages. Germany looked like a side already thinking about the next round, and it showed on the pitch.
What next for Ecuador and Germany?
Germany’s coach now has an interesting problem on his hands. They finished top, which on paper means an easier opponent in the knockout stage, but they exposed gaps at the back that stronger sides will know how to punish. A thinning squad and fatigue are starting to show, and the World Cup is only now entering the phase where mistakes cost you everything.
Ecuador, on the other hand, head into the knockout stage with the wind at their backs. A team that has just toppled one of the title favourites has nothing to fear. They played bravely, with structure and without any inferiority complex, and sides like that are always the most awkward opponents because they have nothing to lose.
The draw and the schedule for the last 32 will decide who comes next, but one thing is certain. Group E served up drama, a comeback and a result that makes no sense at first glance, yet makes perfect sense underneath.
What do you think, is this defeat a timely warning for Germany or a hint that they are simply not ready for a long run at this World Cup?
