Germany vs Ecuador, FIFA World Cup match result: Plata’s late strike stuns Germany as Ecuador seal knockout spot

Ecuador shocked the football world by beating four-time champions Germany 2-1 to catapult themselves into the knockout stages of the World Cup (AP Photo) Record crowds witnessed a historic World Cup heist as scrappy Ecuador stunned four-time champions Germany 2-1 at MetLife Stadium on Friday to secure a dramatic lead in the knockout stages.In a match in which a record 80,663 fans moved the total tournament attendance past the 1994 milestone, Gonzalo Plata emerged as the protagonist. The winger scored the winner in the 77th minute to orchestrate a superb escape for La Tri to book their first ticket to the round of 16 since 2006. The night started disastrously for Ecuador. Germany took the lead just 1 minute 50 seconds into the game when Leroy Sane scored his 18th international goal. The build-up sparked controversy when Aleksandar Pavlovic appeared to kick Pedro Vite after a throw-in, but American referee Tori Penso waved play on. Pavlovic found Florian Wirtz, who set up Sané in the penalty area. During the melee, he even kicked Plata painfully in the head.However, Ecuador refused to back down and struck back in the ninth minute. Felix Nmecha lost the ball in midfield to Vite who quickly fed Nilson Angulo. The forward dribbled deliberately and beat 40-year-old German veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer just outside the penalty area to level the scores.The second half began with high drama when referee Penso awarded Germany a penalty 30 seconds after the restart for Joel Ordonez’s foul on Kai Havertz. However, a VAR review overturned the decision and revealed that Sane had fouled Vitea in the build-up.The decisive moment came 13 minutes from time. After Pedro Vite’s corner, Kevin Rodriguez nodded the ball across the face of the goal. Neuer tried to save but the persistent Plata left-footed it past the iconic keeper and sent coach Sebastián Beccacece into the stands to celebrate.The victory ended Germany’s 11-match winning streak. While Germany still leads Group E with six points, Ecuador finish third with four, guaranteeing progress to the next round.