A record crowd witnessed a historic World Cup heist as feisty Ecuador stunned four-time champions Germany 2-1 at the MetLife Stadium on Friday, sealing a dramatic place in the knockout stages.In a match where a record 80,663 fans pushed the tournament’s total attendance past the 1994 US edition milestone, Gonzalo Plata emerged as the ultimate hero. The winger scored the winner in the 77th minute to orchestrate La Tri’s great escape, booking their first ticket to the last 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 as Aleksandar Pavlovic appeared to kick Pedro Vito after the throw-in, but American referee Tori Penso waved play on. Pavlović found Florian Wirtz who placed Sané in the penalty area. During the commotion, Plata even received a painful kick to the head.However, Ecuador refused to back down and hit back in the ninth minute. Felix Nmecha lost possession in the middle of the field to Vite, who was quickly crossed by Nilson Angulo. The forward dribbled with intent and beat 40-year-old German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer from the edge of the penalty area to equalise.The second half began with high drama when referee Penso awarded Germany a penalty 30 seconds into the game for Joel Ordonez’s foul on Kai Havertz. However, a VAR review overturned the decision, revealing that Sane had fouled Vite in the build-up.The final moment arrived 13 minutes before time. After Pedro Vito’s corner, Kevin Rodriguez pushed the ball over the goal. Neuer moved to collect it but a persistent Plata flicked it past the iconic goalkeeper with a left toe, sending coach Sebastián Beccacece into the stands to celebrate.This victory ended Germany’s streak of 11 victories. While Germany remains top of Group E with six points, Ecuador finishes in third place with four, guaranteeing passage to the next round.
