Ecuador 2–1 Germany: Plata's late header stuns Die Mannschaft at MetLife

Ecuador produced one of the shocks of the 2026 World Cup group stage, beating Germany 2–1 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey thanks to Gonzalo Plata's 77th-minute winner. Germany took the lead within two minutes through Leroy Sane, but Ecuador hit back almost immediately through Nilson Angulo, and the South Americans held their nerve against a German side that had a penalty overturned by VAR before falling to a corner-kick goal late on.

Sane opened the scoring in the 2nd minute with a clinical finish from a move involving Aleksandar Pavlovic's chest control. Ecuador's response was swift: Felix Nmecha lost possession in his own half and Kevin Vite set up Angulo to equalize on nine minutes. The match was finely balanced at the break with the score level at 1–1.

The second half's pivotal moment came when referee Tori Penso awarded Germany a penalty, only for a VAR review to overturn the decision after determining Sane had fouled Vite in the build-up. Ecuador then seized the initiative on 77 minutes: a corner was nodded on by Kevin Rodriguez into the path of Plata, who poked it past Manuel Neuer. Germany pushed for a late leveller but Ecuador held on to claim a famous victory. Nilson Angulo was named Player of the Match.