The match, corresponding to the third day of Group E, began with German dominance. Leroy Sané opened the scoring in the 2nd minute with a tight shot. Ecuador quickly equalized in the 9th minute thanks to a powerful shot by Nilson Angulo from outside the area. The 1-1 tie remained until the final stretch.
In the 77th minute, after a corner taken by Pedro Vite, Kevin Rodríguez won the header in the area. The ball did not have a clear direction towards the goal, but Gonzalo Plata anticipated the defense and the German goalkeeper, extended his left leg and pushed the ball into the back of the net. Manuel Neuer, who came out to control the ball, could not prevent the goal. The 2-1 score unleashed the euphoria of the Ecuadorian fans in the stands and on the bench.
Plata, who even received a blow to the head during the first German goal, appeared at the key moment. His opportunism and ability to anticipate defined a play that Ecuador had worked on in attack. The winger, a regular in La Tri’s starting eleven, wrote his name in the history of Ecuadorian football with this decisive goal.
Germany, already classified as first in Group E, could not react in the final minutes, despite their attempts. Ecuador, which came into this match with a draw and a loss, added its first three points of the tournament and advanced as one of the best third parties.
With this result, Ecuador will play in the round of 32. The MetLife Stadium, with more than 80 thousand spectators and a strong presence of Ecuadorian fans, witnessed one of the biggest surprises of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup. Silver’s definition against Neuer will remain one of the most remembered images of the day.