Gonzalo Plata poked the ball past Manuel Neuer in the 77th minute, and Ecuador advanced to the knockout stage of the World Cup by rallying for a 2-1 win over Germany. Germany, which clinched first place in Group E with victories in its first two games, went ahead on Leroy Sane's second-minute goal. Nilson Angulo scored Ecuador's first goal of the tournament in the ninth minute. Plata scored after a corner kick was nodded on by Kevin Rodríguez. Neuer, the 40-year-old Germany goalkeeper who came out of international retirement for the World Cup, was about the grasp the ball when Plata raised his left foot and with a toe put the ball into the net. Ecuador finished third in the group with four points and advanced past the group stage for the second time, the first since a round of 16 game in 2002.

Ecuador have done it! They have qualified for the Round of 32 and Germany are left stunned! What a night! What a performance and what a victory!

Undav found himself in a good position but the ball crashes in to the side netting. Still no success!

7 minutes to.go and Ecuador are holding on for dear life. They have successfully stopped all the German attacks and they are just minutes away from a famous victory!

This changes everything! A win over Germany will take Ecuador to 4 points. It should be enough for them to book their Round of 32 berth as one of the best third-placed sides.

Ecuador score and the World Cup dream is still alive. A smart finish by Gonzalo Plata from the corner and Germany are trailing 1-2. This is huge!

It was a brilliant volley by Valencia but Neuer was able to complete the save. Ecuador are showing great heart but they will never something special to break Germany.

Thaw and Undav introduced by Germany with Havertz and Kimmich coming off. Rudiger is the new captain and Germany will be looking to attack with renewed vigour.

If things remain the same, Ecuador's run in the FIFA World Cup 2026 will come to an end. Ivory Coast lead in their match against Curacao and that will be enough for their qualification.

No penalty! There was a foul in the build-up and the penalty is overturned!

Second half is underway and what a start for Germany! Kai Havertz was tackled and Germany have a penalty!

It is half-time and the score is 1-1. Ecuador did have their phases of domination but it was truly Germany's half. They controlled the game and it is surprising that they do not have the lead. Nagelsmann will be looking to make some changes to freshen up the attack.

Germany will be quite unhappy that they are not ahead in this match. Constant attacks from them but the finish was just not there. 

Ecuador have looked quite sharp since scoring the equaliser. This has been a good period of time for them as they had a couple of chances. However, nothing came off them.

In the other match, Ivory Coast have taken the lead against Curacao with Nicholas Pepe sccoring.

Business as usual as Germany keep creating chances. But no more goals in this game. A long-range attempt from Nmecha had the sting but it was not on target.

That lead was short-lived as Ecuador equalise! A brilliant long-range attempt from Nilson Angulo and Neuer could do nothing. The first goal caused a bit of uproar but this goal has calmed Ecuadorian nerves!

Leroy Sane scores to hand Germany an early lead but Ecuador players are not happy. Florian Wirtz provided the assist but Pavlovic's high boot in the built-up was not given as a foul. The referee had a conversation with the VAR officials and the goal stands!

The match begins and Germany off to a rapid start. Couple of attacks already and they are looking in fine form.

The two teams are making their way to the middle and we are few minutes away from the start of the match. It is time for the national anthems and we can expect a competitive game between these two teams.

Nothing short of a win will do for Ecuador in the race for Round of 32. They need to win their game and hope that Ivory Coast lose to Curacao in order to finish second. However, if they win and Ivory Coast also win, they will finish third with 4 points and will have a good chance of qualification.

Germany have already booked their berth in the World Cup Round of 32 with wins over Curacao and Ivory Coast. However, they went with a full-strength team in the game against Ecuador.

Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann has criticised the FIFA World Cup scheduling format, arguing that teams finishing at the top of their groups are placed at a disadvantage due to limited preparation time ahead of the knockout rounds. "I don't think it's ideal that you're somewhat punished for winning the group. I'm not a big fan of it. Anyone can imagine that there are better setups than scrubbing through footage all Saturday night, only to present the opponent to the team on Sunday," Nagelsmann told reporters.

Hernan Galíndez; Alan Franco, Piero Hincapie, Willian Pacho, Joel Ordonez; Pedro Vite, Moises Caicedo, John Yeboah; Gonzalo Plata, Enner Valencia, Nilson Angulo

Manuel Neuer; Joshua Kimmich, Antonio Rüdiger, Jonathan Tah, David Raum; Aleksandar Pavlovic, Felix Nmecha; Leroy Sane, Kai Havertz, Jamal Musiala; Florian Wirtz

Welcome to the live coverage of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group E clash between Germany and Ecuador. Germany will look to continue their winning run while a win is crucial for Ecuador to keep their Round of 32 dreams alive.