Plata's late strike sinks Germany as Ecuador shock Group E

Ecuador stunned Germany 2-1 at the MetLife Stadium, Gonzalo Plata's 77th-minute winner sealing one of the World Cup's most striking group-stage upsets. Germany were already guaranteed top spot, but a vibrant Ecuador — goalless across their first two matches — chose attack over caution and were richly rewarded. It was Germany's first World Cup group defeat to a South American side in 11 such fixtures, and it ended a 13-year wait for Ecuador to beat European opposition at the finals, a drought stretching back to their 2013 win over Portugal.

How it unfolded: Angulo opens, Sane levels, Plata wins it

Angulo set the tone early, the Sunderland man burying his first goal of the tournament after a well-timed run. Germany responded through Leroy Sane, his sharp finish ranking as the second-fastest German World Cup goal ever and seemingly restoring order. The holders of top spot looked to have weathered the storm, but Ecuador surged again, pressing high and forcing errors, and Plata struck on 77 minutes — ending a 12-game personal drought to become the latest match-winner in his country's World Cup history. Germany could not respond in a frantic finale.

Record books: Neuer milestone overshadowed by Ecuador's defiance

Manuel Neuer made his 22nd World Cup start, equalling the German record held by Lothar Matthaus and Miroslav Klose, but the night belonged emphatically to Sebastian Beccacece's Ecuador. Their reward for a bold, front-foot approach was a famous scalp and a result that ended their longest run without a win over a UEFA nation. Beccacece, emotional at the whistle, watched a gamble on attacking football pay off in full — a performance that recast Ecuador as genuine knockout dark horses rather than cautious minnows.

The table: Germany first, Ecuador eye a third-place ticket

Germany still topped Group E on six points (GD plus six); Ivory Coast took second on six (GD plus two) after beating Curacao; and Ecuador finished third on four points with a goal difference of zero, putting them firmly in the best-third-placed conversation. Curacao are out at the bottom of the group. With group winners seeded for the Round of 32, Germany's reward is a meeting with a third-placed qualifier in Foxborough, while Ecuador now await the third-placed reckoning, their goal difference offering genuine encouragement that the night's heroics will carry them into the knockouts. For Beccacece's side, beating one of the tournament favourites was both a statement and, potentially, the result that defines their summer. Our forecast of Under 2.5 goals missed in a 2-1 thriller, but the story of the night — Ecuador's defiance rewarded — was the only headline that truly mattered.