FIFA World Cup

ECU Ecuador Ecuador - GER Germany Germany

Ecuador Ecuador

Germany Germany

G. Plata
77'

N. Angulo
9'
2'
L. Sané

New York/New Jersey Stadium(Sold out)

Mary Victoria Tori Penso

Full-time: Ecuador 2-1 Germany

Ecuador manage a major upset to rescue knockout-round qualification from the jaws of defeat thanks to Plata's late second-half strike - only their second of the tournament. Germany had already booked their spot in the Round of 32 as Group E winners, but defeat will no less sting Julian Nagelsmann and his players, who suffer their first defeat of the tournament, bringing an 11-game winning streak to a close. For Ecuador, however, this victory marks only the second time they have reached the knockout rounds of a World Cup.

End of second half

Full-time

90'

+ 5

Wild effort

Following a long throw-in from Beier, the ball is cleared high before dropping for Groß, who tries with an ambitious left-footed half-volley on the turn. His effort flies high and wide of the mark.

90'

+ 3

Side netting!

Groß flicks a ball round the corner for Undav with a deft touch following a ball in from the left. Germany's super sub wriggles free of his marker before unleashing a powerful left-footed effort from a tight angle, but he can only find the side netting. A few of the Germany fans thought that was in...

90'

Stoppage time

A minimum of seven minutes have been added on. Are there any more twists in the tale here in New Jersey?

89'

Yellow card

Gonzalo Plata

88'

Raum delivers

Estupiñán brings Beier down with a foul high up on the right German flank. Raum comes across to take it, aiming for Groß at the near post, but Estupiñán is first to the header, clearing it behind for a corner. Raum takes again, but this time, Ecuador clear properly.

86'

Final changes

Beccacece makes his final substitutions of the match as he introduces Torres and Caicedo for Yeboah and Angulo. Will the South Americans be able to hold this lead?

85'

Substitution

Félix Torres

John Yeboah

85'

Substitution

Jordy Caicedo

Nilson Angulo

84'

Stiller putting his body on the line

Yeboah cuts the ball back from the byline to Plata in the Germany box, but before the goalscorer can get another shot off, Stiller comes storming across to get in the way, taking a blow in the process. The Stuttgart man was straight back to his feet, however.

Plata fires Ecuador ahead!

Ecuador have turned the game around! From Vite's right-sided corner, Rodríguez flicks the ball on at the near post. Right in front of goal, with Neuer stretching to make the save, Plata gets a foot to it and redirects the ball in under the crossbar from the tightest of angles, sending the Ecuador fans into raptures.

77'

Gonzalo Plata

GOAL!

2:1

Assist:K. Rodríguez

Goal probability

Goal probability determines the likelihood that the ball will land in the goal from every position on the pitch. The value is based on large amounts of data from previous years; factors such as shot angle, distance to goal and opponent pressure - as well as mathematical models.

77 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

2.26 m

76'

Almost the brace!

Sané finds himself in a position to shoot and dummies well to send his marker to the ground, but his follow-up effort is scuffed and lands straight into Galíndez's arms.

73'

Substitution

Pascal Groß

Florian Wirtz

Defensive mix-up!

A huge chance for Ecuador! There's some miscommunication between Tah and Neuer as the defender shields the ball from Rodríguez but then pokes it away just before the goalkeeper can gather it. Rodríguez pulls it back to Caicedo, whose shot is met by Plata in the middle, but he can't divert it on target.

71'

Substitution

Pervis Estupiñán

Piero Hincapié

70'

Hydration break

Once again, there's a pause in play whilst both sets of players rehydrate.

68'

Vite gets a foot in

Wirtz brilliantly knocks the ball past Caicedo in the middle of the park and gets it back from Undav near the edge of the penalty area. However, Vite steps in to clear the danger for Ecuador before a shot materialises.

65'

Substitutions on both sides

Rodríguez and Preciado come on as fresh legs for Ecuador whilst Beier replaces Nmecha. With attacking alterations made on both sides, it seems neither side is satisfied with a draw...

64'

Substitution

Maximilian Beier

Felix Nmecha

64'

Substitution

Ángelo Preciado

Enner Valencia

64'

Substitution

Kevin Rodríguez

Alan Franco

Germany counter

Wirtz immediately spearheads a counter-attack up the other end for Germany. Isolated, he lets fly, but his shot is blocked. It falls to Raum who digs out a cross towards Undav at the far post, but Galíndez plucks it out of the sky under pressure from the Stuttgart striker.

63'

Neuer called into action

Yeboah tees up Valencia on the edge of the box, who lashes an effort back across goal on the half-volley, but it's beaten away by Germany's veteran custodian.

Double change

Nagelsmann goes to the bench again to try and change his side's current fortunes. Thiaw replaces Kimmich in defence and super sub Undav comes on in place of Havertz, much to the joy of the German contingent inside the stadium.

60'

Substitution

Malick Thiaw

Joshua Kimmich

60'

Substitution

Deniz Undav

Kai Havertz

59'

Entering a lull

Much of the play is taking place in the middle of the park of late. Frequent fouls and misplaced passes are currently disrupting the flow of the game, but Germany are trying to establish themselves in possession.

55'

Caught under his feet

Sané drives at his marker down the right flank before attempting to break into the Ecuador box, but he forfeits possession after tripping over the ball.

54'

Yeboah forces the corner

The winger twists and turns down the right flank to make space for a cross, but Raum sticks with him all the way before putting in a good block. Ecuador deliver an outswinging corner from the right, but Germany are first to the ball to head it clear.

51'

Franco booked

The right-back is the latest player to go into the book for illegally preventing Germany from taking a quick throw-in.

50'

Yellow card

Alan Franco

No penalty!

Germany thought they had a penalty after the referee had pointed to the spot following a challenge on Havertz by Ordóñez, but it has since been overturned following a VAR review. Sané had committed a foul in the build-up.

46'

Back underway!

Ecuador get the second half underway. Nagelsmann makes one change at the break, withdrawing the cautioned Pavlović for Stiller.

Kick-off!

45'

+ 5

Substitution

Angelo Stiller

Aleksandar Pavlović

Half-time: Ecuador 1-1 Germany

It's level pegging at the interval in Germany's final Group E outing. It took Nagelsmann's side just two minutes to establish their lead through Sané, but Ecuador drew level minutes later thanks to Angulo's long-ranged stunner, which marked the South American's first goal of the tournament. Given that it's a must-win for Ecuador, Germany had to weather a lot of pressure throughout the half, with Tah proving integral at the back. Musiala and Wirtz have been Germany's brightest sparks in attack, but Nagelsmann's side will need to hone their precision after the interval if they're to claim their first perfect group-stage campaign since hosting in 2006.

Half-time

45'

+ 4

Bundling through

Wirtz brings down a cross from the left inside the Ecuador box. Under pressure from three defenders, he can't make space for the shot and the South Americans recover possession.

45'

+ 3

Tah clears

As he has done so often this half, Tah is first to the ball inside his own box to clear the danger for Germany, this time courtesy of a cross from former Werkself teammate Hincapié.

45'

+ 1

Stoppage time

A minimum of four additional minutes have been indicated. Will there be late drama in the first half here?

45'

Quickfire bookings

Both sides are shown their first yellow cards of the match in rapid succession. Hincapié is cautioned for impeding Sané by pulling his shirt before Pavlović's name is taken for a foul on Valencia.

44'

Yellow card

Aleksandar Pavlović

43'

Yellow card

Piero Hincapié

42'

Clever run

Musiala looks along the line to stay onside before latching onto a through ball from Raum down the left flank. Waiting for support to arrive, he stands his man up before trying to pick Havertz out with a low cross using the outside of his right boot. However, the ball is cleared from the six-yard box before it can reach the former Leverkusen star.

39'

Bursting from deep

Nmecha gets into his stride in the middle of the park before attempting an effort from just over 20 yards out. His shot is blocked at source, however.

35'

Musiala forces the corner

Wirtz drives at the opposition defence from the heart of midfield. To his left, Musiala had made a good run in behind, and the Liverpool man finds him, but the No.10's left-footed strike is blocked by a last-ditch attempt from Ordóñez. Germany don't make anything of the resultant set-piece.

32'

Tah holds firm

A counter-attack opens up for Ecuador. Goalscorer Angulo drives at Rüdiger before attempting to release Valencia to his right, but his pass forces the veteran forward wide and his subsequent shot is blocked well by Tah.

31'

Back underway

Thirsts have been quenched, and play resumes.

28'

Hydration break

Play comes to a halt whilst both sets of players take on fluids to try and beat the heat.

26'

Straight at Galíndez

Raum fires a trademark cross in from deep on the left flank. Havertz is the target, and the Leipzig man finds that target with laser precision, but Havertz's header ends up in the outstretched arms of the Ecuadorian goalkeeper.

Tracking back

After opening the scoring for Germany, Sané shows he has more to his game than his attacking input. Hincapié bursts into the Germany box down the left, but the Galatasaray winger outmuscles him fairly to snuff out the danger.

24'

Dangerous ball from Franco

The Ecuadorian right-back has been causing problems on Germany's left flank, most recently whipping a teasing cross in which Sané managed to clear.

22'

First corner for Ecuador

Hincapie's attempted cross from high up on the left flank is blocked behind by Kimmich for Ecuador's first corner of the match. Angulo swings it in, but Neuer punches it clear.

Another angle of Angulo's screamer

It had to be some hit to beat Manuel Neuer, but how Angulo delivered for Ecuador!

18'

Intricate

Wirtz plays a great ball round the corner to Havertz's feet. Raum takes off on a speedy overlapping run and the Arsenal forward tries to play a ball into his path, but it's just too close to former Eintracht man Pacho, who makes a crucial intervention as the last man back for Ecuador.

15'

Flashed wide

Nmecha plays a one-two with Musiala before letting an effort fly from the right half-space at the edge of the box. It's powerfully struck, but the Dortmund man just drags his effort wide of the left post.

12'

In by Kimmich

The No.6 whips a free-kick into the Ecuador box from around 35 yards in off the left flank, but a yellow shirt is first to the ball to clear.

Angulo rocket draws Ecuador level!

The roof has come off here in New Jersey! Nmecha is dispossessed by Vite in the German defensive third. The midfielder picks out Angulo to his right, who drives towards Neuer's goal before rifling a right-footed effort into the far corner from outside the box. What a hit!

Nilson Angulo

GOAL!

1:1

Assist:P. Vite

Goal probability

4 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

21.18 m

Shot blocked

A quick Germany counter-attack culminates in Wirtz finding space on the edge of the Ecuador box. However, he is closed down just as he pulls the trigger for a shot, which is blocked by two Ecuadorian defenders.

Germany want more

Musiala and Wirtz are showing relentless energy in the press inside the opening stages here.

Dream start for Germany!

A long throw-in is sent into the Ecuador box from the left-hand side. Pavlović brings the ball down before shifting it onto Wirtz, who in turn makes space in the box and tees up Sané, who drills a low, first-time shot home for the opener. Following a VAR check for a potential foul in the build-up, the goal is given. 1-0 Germany!

Leroy Sané

GOAL!

0:1

Assist:F. Wirtz

Goal probability

19 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

14.29 m

And we're off!

Kai Havertz gets the ball rolling as Germany get us underway here in New Jersey.

Kick-off!

National anthems ring out

Kick-off is fast approaching...

Going through the paces

Both sets of players are getting warm with less than 15 minutes left to go before kick-off...

0:35

Watch: Germany fans have their say ahead of Ecuador clash

The Germany fans predict the score and give their thoughts on Nico Schlotterbeck's tournament-ending injury ahead of Germany's final Group E match against Ecuador.

More on that Germany side

As expected, there are two changes to Germany's starting line-up from the game against Côte d'Ivoire born of necessity. With injuries to Nico Schlotterbeck and Nathaniel Brown - whom had been given the nod in the opening two fixtures - forcing Julian Nagelsmann's hand, in come Antonio Rüdiger (pictured) and David Raum at the back.

More on that Ecuador side

Sebastián Beccacece makes two changes to the starting line-up he opted to field in Ecuador's 0-0 draw against Curaçao last time out. Ordóñez and Angulo come into the team in place of Alcívar and Estupiñán. Stuttgart's Joaquín Arévalo once again starts on the bench and must continue to wait to make his first World Cup appearance. Former Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapié (pictured), who today was confirmed to have had his loan deal to Arsenal made permanent, starts in defence.

Starting line-up: Germany

Germany subs

Baumann, Nübel, Anton, Thiaw, Amiri, Goretzka, Groß, Ouédraogo, Stiller, Beier, Leweling, Undav, Woltemade

Starting line-up: Ecuador

Ecuador subs

Ramírez, Valle, Torres, Estupiñán, Preciado, Porozo, Medina, Alcívar, A. Valencia, Páez, Minda, Castillo, Rodríguez, J. Caicedo, Arévalo

Calm before the storm

The fans are yet to enter the stadium, but everything is set here in New Jersey for the final group-stage match between Ecuador and Germany.

Your top Germany XI

The results are in and here is your top Germany XI as voted for by Bundesliga users! Nathaniel Brown had been selected as the top pick to start at left-back, but the Eintracht Frankfurt man suffered a groin complaint following the closing of the voting window, and has thus been withdrawn from inclusion. David Raum replaces him as the player with the second-most votes.

0:26

Watch: Germany fans take over Times Square

Three in a row?

These two countries have only met twice before, with both games ending in wins for Germany. Their first meeting came at the 2006 World Cup (3-0) and their latest encounter came in a friendly in 2013 (4-2).

Familiar faces

Former Bayer Leverkusen star Piero Hincapié (pictured) and ex-Eintracht Frankfurt man Willian Pacho are expected to start for Ecuador, while VfB Stuttgart's Jeremy Arévalo is also an option from the bench for them.

Sebastian Beccacece on facing Germany

"Tomorrow we are facing a world football powerhouse, ⁠but of course maybe we ⁠can make the impossible ‌possible. We have to go with an idea that is already established, to know in which moments we have to take control, look for spaces that allow ‌us ⁠more time to make decisions."

Nagelsmann focused on the present

"We should keep things in perspective. We've won two games, one relatively easily, one relatively narrowly. Now the focus is on Ecuador. And then we'll see who our opponent will be on Monday. We should stay in the here and now and not look too far ahead."

Deniz Undav on his role in the team

"I try to contribute positively, whether from the bench or from the start. The most important thing is that the team wins; that comes first. Everything else has to take a back seat. I'm simply trying to do my job. That's worked well in the last two games."

Looking ahead

Germany know they will face a third-placed team in the round of 32. Their opponent may not be confirmed until the entire group stage is complete, but as it stands their potential rivals in Boston on 29 June are: South Korea (Group A), Bosnia (Group B), Scotland (Group C), Australia or Paraguay (Group D) and Netherlands, Sweden or Japan (Group F). The latter two groups finish later today, so Nagelsmann can at least narrow down his focus to five possible opponents before everything's finally confirmed.

Nagelsmann plays down calls for changes

"It's about rhythm," insisted Julian Nagelsmann when explaining why he doesn't plan to make unenforced changes against Ecuador, despite Germany already being assured of first place in the group. He specifically mentioned the goalkeeper and Deniz Undav. "I understand every debate that Deniz deserves to start. I can't deny that. But we have an idea behind our decisions, which we take with conviction. I understand it all from a personal perspective, but we need to look at the bigger picture."

Brown to miss out

Frankfurt's Nathaniel Brown was unable to participate in Germany's final team training session on Wednesday due to a groin complaint and won't play. Julian Nagelsmann confirmed that David Raum will take his place, while Antonio Rüdiger will come in for the injured Nico Schlotterbeck.

0:35

From R9 to JL9

A lighthearted Instagram joke about Ronaldo's iconic 2002 World Cup 'triangle fringe' snowballed into something special for VfB Stuttgart forward Jamie Leweling - a signed shirt from the Brazilian legend himself! The Germany forward has also promised to recreate the iconic haircut if his country win the competition in North America.

10:05

Watch: The best of Miroslav Klose

Until another piece of Lionel Messi magic on 22 June, Miroslav Klose held the record for most World Cup goals (16). The legendary Germany striker - now Nuremberg head coach - also struck 121 times in the Bundesliga.

11:32

Watch: The best of Bastian Schweinsteiger

Midfield great Bastian Schweinsteiger enjoyed a decorated career for club and country, winning eight Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich and helping Germany lift the 2014 World Cup.

Amiri on Ecuador game

"We want to win and we'll give it everything. I can't see Julian [Nagelsmann] experimenting too much. We'll approach it like a final."

3:28

Watch: Amiri's World Cup excitement

Mainz's Nadiem Amiri spoke to the press after helping Germany reach the World Cup knockouts.

What's at stake?

Germany will finish top of the pile regardless of the result here, meaning it is up to Ecuador to take the game to their opponents. They know that nothing other than a win will keep them in with a chance of progression, and they can only finish in the top two if Côte d’Ivoire also lose to Curaçao. If that proves to not be the case, three points would at least give the South Americans a chance to go through as one of the best eight third-placed teams.

Undav "incredibly happy"

Man of the moment Deniz Undav has reacted to his match-winning turn against Côte d’Ivoire. "I'm incredibly happy," he told DFB.com. "I had to laugh again, even in Toronto they're calling my name, not just in Stuttgart. I'm enjoying it, I'm going to take it with me."

Schlotterbeck out

Nico Schlotterbeck had to go off at half-time in Germany's win over Côte d’Ivoire on Saturday, and the Borussia Dortmund centre-back will now miss the remainder of the tournament after an MRI scan confirmed a torn ankle ligament. "We'll really miss an outstanding defender in Schlotti, especially for his excellent build-up play. It could've been his World Cup. It's a good sign that he'll initially stay with the team because he also has an influence off the pitch," Nagelsmann said upon confirmation of the news.

Good German boys

Germany are yet to pick up a yellow card at this summer's finals - in fact, there hasn't been a card shown in either of their fixtures - meaning they don't have to worry about any suspensions going into the knockout rounds. Players will only serve a one-game ban after collecting two yellows, and rule changes for this tournament mean that cards are wiped clean after the group stage and again after the quarter-finals.

Who will Germany face?

Germany will face a third-placed team from Group A, B, C, D or F. The issue is, though, that there are 495 possible combinations of the eight qualifiers from the 12 groups. There are still a lot of games to play in this stage before things become clear. "We can't influence the other groups. We'll face a good team sooner or later. But they're all good teams in front of us," said Nagelsmann when asked about potential opponents.

Germany top group

Two wins from two have put Germany on six points and also guaranteed them top spot in Group E. Their lead over Côte d’Ivoire is three points, but Julian Nagelsmann's men have the head-to-head advantage and therefore cannot be knocked from first place in the final round of fixtures. It means they now know already that they will play their round of 32 fixture in Boston on 29 June. But they won't know their opponent (a third-placed team) for a few more days...

Last time out: Germany

Deniz Undav came off the bench to score twice, including a 94th-minute winner, as Germany came from behind to beat Côte d’Ivoire in Toronto. The result, coupled with Ecuador's draw later in the day, secured Julian Nagelsmann's side first place in Group E.

Last time out: Ecuador

The South Americans saw Eloy Room make a record-equalling 15 saves as they were held to a goalless draw by Curaçao in Miami.

Welcome!

Follow all of the action as Ecuador take on Germany in the final game of Group E, kicking off at 9pm CEST in New York/New Jersey.