[2026 World Cup] Ecuador Defeats Germany 2-1 in Comeback Win... Korea's Chances for Round of 32 Diminish

Ecuador Rises to Top Among Third-Place Teams with 4 Points
Ivory Coast Secures Second Place in Group E with 2-0 Win Over Curacao

Germany, considered a tournament favorite, was defeated by Ecuador in the third Group E match of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup, further diminishing South Korea's chances of advancing to the round of 32. This is because Ecuador, now confirmed as third in Group E, has secured 4 points, more than Korea's 3 points.

On June 26 (Korean time), Ecuador pulled off a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Germany in the third Group E match of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup at New York New Jersey Stadium in the United States.

Nilson Angulo of Ecuador is celebrating after scoring the equalizer during the third match of Group E against Germany at the New York New Jersey Stadium in the United States on the 26th (Korean time). Photo by Yonhap News

Ecuador conceded the opening goal to Germany's Leroy Sane just two minutes into the match. Sane received a pass from Florian Wirtz inside the box and found the Ecuadorian net with a left-footed shot.

However, Ecuador quickly responded with an equalizer. In the 9th minute of the first half, Nilson Angulo scored with a right-footed mid-range shot from outside the penalty box, making it 1-1. This was Ecuador's first goal of the tournament, as they had failed to score in their previous two matches.

With only one point from the first two matches, Ecuador was desperate for another goal. If they had only managed a draw in their final group stage match against Germany, they would have finished with just 2 points and faced a high risk of failing to advance to the round of 32.

In the 32nd minute of the second half, the goal that Ecuadorian fans were hoping for finally arrived. Enner Valencia scored a priceless go-ahead goal from a corner kick. Valencia got his foot to the ball before Germany's goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, after Kevin Rodriguez headed it on, sending it into the German net.

As the final whistle blew, the Ecuadorian players embraced each other in celebration, as if their place in the round of 32 had already been secured. Ecuador concluded the group stage with 1 win, 1 draw, and 1 loss (4 points), a goal difference of zero (2 goals scored, 2 conceded), and third place in Group E. Among the 12 third-placed teams, Ecuador now ranks first.

Meanwhile, at Philadelphia Stadium in the United States, Ivory Coast secured second place in Group E with a 2-0 victory over Curacao. Nicolas Pepe scored for Ivory Coast in the 7th minute of the first half and the 19th minute of the second half.

Ivory Coast finished the group stage with the same record as Germany—2 wins and 1 loss (6 points)—but, due to the head-to-head rule, secured second place in Group E. They had previously lost 1-2 to Germany. Curacao wrapped up their group stage with 1 draw, 2 losses (1 point).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.