New Jersey: Ecuador pulled off an astonishing come-from-behind 2-1 victory over heavyweight opponents Germany at the New York New Jersey Stadium, breathing life into their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign.

Germany claimed an incredibly early lead in just the second minute when winger Leroy Sané swept home a clinical finish following an assist from playmaker Florian Wirtz. The goal stood despite intense protests from the Ecuadorian players regarding a potential high foot from midfielder Aleksandar Pavlović during the build-up phase.

However, Ecuador reacted with immense resilience. Nilson Angulo equalised in the ninth minute, seizing a loose ball outside the penalty area and striking a low shot past Germany's 40-year-old goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to score La Tri's very first goal of the tournament.

The fixture was filled with dramatic twists after the half-time interval. Germany were initially awarded a penalty early in the second half for an alleged foul on forward Kai Havertz. However, the decision was overturned following a comprehensive Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review, which penalised Sané for a foul in the preceding build-up.

Ecuador’s manager, Sebastián Beccacece, made pivotal strategic adjustments, bringing on forward Kevin Rodríguez, whose aggressive physical presence severely unsettled the German defence. The breakthrough arrived in the 77th minute. Gonzalo Plata scored the decisive winning goal, poking the ball past a diving Neuer after Kevin Rodríguez had nodded on a well-delivered corner kick.

Drama continued into the closing stages as a late scare when Gonzalo Plata was booked for an aggressive challenge on Jamal Musiala in the 89th minute, and German forward Deniz Undav hit the side netting deep into stoppage time. Supported by roughly 55,000 fanatical supporters in the stadium, Ecuador executed a heroic rearguard action to deny a late German onslaught.

With this monumental triumph, Germany still finished as Group E winners with six points, having comfortably won their opening two fixtures. Concurrently, Ecuador finished third in the group standings with four points and a neutral goal difference. This haul officially guarantees La Tri a qualification berth as one of the best eight third-place finishers, sending them through to the highly anticipated Round of 32 stage.