Ecuador produced one of the biggest surprises of the FIFA World Cup on Thursday, defeating Germany 2-1 to secure a place in the Round of 32, while the Netherlands, Japan and Côte d’Ivoire also booked their spots in the knockout stage.
The Netherlands finished top of Group F after a comfortable 3-1 victory over Tunisia, edging Japan into second place after the Asian side settled for a 1-1 draw with Sweden. Sweden also progressed as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams.
The Dutch will now face Morocco in the Round of 32, while Japan are set for a blockbuster clash against Group C winners Brazil.
The standout result of the day came at MetLife Stadium, where Ecuador shocked already-qualified Germany. Gonzalo Plata netted the decisive goal 13 minutes from time to seal a memorable 2-1 comeback victory.
Germany had taken an early lead through Leroy Sané after just two minutes, but Nilson Angulo restored parity before Plata struck the winner. The victory lifted Ecuador to four points, enough to earn qualification as one of the eight best third-placed teams.
Ecuador coach Sebastián Beccacece hailed the achievement, saying the victory belonged to the country’s supporters.
“The significance of this is not for me, it is for the people. The players gave a huge happiness to the people. We have to enjoy it and celebrate,” he said.
Although Germany had already secured top spot in Group E with earlier victories over Côte d’Ivoire and Curaçao, head coach Julian Nagelsmann criticised his side’s display, describing it as “tactical suicide.”
“We got off to a great start, but after scoring we lost our shape. Ecuador had everything to play for and showed it throughout the game,” Nagelsmann said.
Elsewhere in Group E, Côte d’Ivoire secured second place with a 2-0 win over Curaçao in Philadelphia, thanks to a Nicolas Pépé brace. The victory sent the West Africans into the World Cup knockout stage for the first time, while Curaçao exited the competition with just one point.
In Group D, the United States, who had already qualified as group winners, suffered a 3-2 defeat to Turkey after coach Mauricio Pochettino made nine changes to his starting XI. Kaan Ayhan struck deep into stoppage time to hand Turkey a consolation victory.
Australia also progressed after battling to a goalless draw against Paraguay, finishing second in the group. Paraguay remain in contention to qualify as one of the best third-placed teams.
The Netherlands continued their impressive attacking form against Tunisia, benefiting from an Ellyes Skhiri own goal before strikes from Brian Brobbey and Jan Paul van Hecke wrapped up the win.
Japan, meanwhile, were denied top spot in Group F after Sweden fought back to earn a 1-1 draw. Daizen Maeda opened the scoring early in the second half, but Anthony Elanga’s superb long-range effort ensured Sweden claimed the point they needed to qualify.
Sweden coach Graham Potter praised his players’ performance, saying they deserved their place in the knockout rounds after a resilient display.
