Fans in tears, coach in wife’s arms: Ecuador’s World Cup celebrations go viral
Ecuador coach Sebastian Beccacece’s euphoric celebration after his side’s dramatic 2-1 win over Germany quickly went viral on Thursday (June 25) as Ecuador sealed their place in the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 2006.
When the final whistle blew at New York’s New Jersey Stadium, Beccacece sprinted towards the stands, climbed over the barriers and hugged his wife before celebrating with the Ecuadorian fans, many of whom were left in tears after witnessing one of the biggest results in the country’s football history. Photo: Reuters
Emotional scenes followed on a night where Ecuador entered with virtually no margin for error.
ECUADOR COME BACK FROM DESPAIR
Ecuador, who lost their opening two games to Ivory Coast and drew with tournament debutants Curacao, needed a win over already qualified Germany to keep their World Cup campaign alive.
Things got off to a disastrous start.
Germany took the lead in the second minute through Leroy Sane after a move Ecuador felt should have been stopped due to a high boot on Pedro Vite during a drive. Their appeals were dismissed and the goal stood.
But Ecuador did not lose control of the game.
Nilson Angulo equalized in the ninth minute with Ecuador’s first goal of the tournament – remarkably only their 40th of the campaign.
The game remained even until the second half. Germany had a penalty disallowed after VAR intervention, while Manuel Neuer denied Enner Valencia to keep the scoreline.
Then Ecuador found its moment.
Substitute Kevin Rodriguez headed in a corner in the 77th minute and Gonzalo Plata headed in from close range.
Ecuador then survived nearly 20 minutes of relentless pressure to secure qualification as one of the top eight teams in third place in the tournament.
Beccacece said after the game that the result represented the accomplishment of what the team set out to achieve.
“Now is the time to celebrate. It’s time to share this feeling with your family, friends and drink beer,” Beccacece said.
“It’s Ecuador’s biggest World Cup victory. We worked for it, we came with the dream of making Ecuador’s best cup ever, and now we’ve done it.” Photo: Reuters
The coach said Ecuador never abandoned their approach despite a difficult start to the tournament and criticism after the first two matches.
“We kept our composure. We kept exactly the same idea of how to play,” he said.
Beccacece added that the team refused to overreact after poor results and approached Germany believing they were on the same level.
“Football is like that: one day you win, the next day you lose. We weren’t in hell before, and I don’t think we’re in heaven now. Balance is important.”
“I don’t think we were better than Curacao, nor did we feel that we were less than Germany. We will continue with humility and discretion.”
Despite the defeat, Germany still progress as winners of Group E, while Ecuador move into the Round of 32 carrying momentum and one of the most memorable celebrations of the tournament so far.
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
26 Jun 2026 14:46 IST