A record-breaking crowd witnessed a historic World Cup heist as a gritty Ecuador team dramatically sealed the knockout stages with a 2-1 win over four-time champions Germany at MetLife Stadium on Friday.The game attracted a record 80,663 fans, taking the tournament’s total attendance past the milestone for the 1994 US edition, and Gonzalo Plata became the ultimate hero. The winger scored the winning goal in the 77th minute to seal the deal for the Ratris and earn their first ticket to the last 16 since 2006. The night started disastrously for Ecuador. Germany took the lead just 1 minute and 50 seconds into the game when Leroy Sane scored his 18th international goal. The build-up sparked controversy when Aleksandar Pavlovich appeared to kick Pedro Witt after a throw-in, but American referee Tory Penso waved play on. Pavlovich found Florian Wirtz, who placed Sane inside the box. While eating, Plata was even kicked in the head, which was very painful.However, Ecuador refused to back down and struck back in the 9th minute. Felix Nmecha lost possession in midfield and Vite soon passed to Nelson Angulo. The forward deliberately dribbled the ball past Germany’s 40-year-old goalkeeper Manuel Neuer just outside the penalty area to level the score.The second half started with drama as referee Penso awarded Germany a penalty 30 seconds after the restart for a foul by Joel Ordonez on Kai Havertz. However, a VAR review overturned the decision, showing that Sane had fouled Witt during the attack.With 13 minutes left in the game, the decisive moment arrived. After receiving a corner kick from Pedro Witt, Kevin Rodriguez fired the ball into the back of the net. Neuer prepared to receive the ball but the persistent Plata poked the ball past the iconic goalkeeper with his left toe, sending coach Sebastian Becasese running into the stands to celebrate.The victory ended Germany’s 11-game winning streak. Germany still tops Group E with 6 points, while Ecuador is third with 4 points, ensuring advancement to the next round.
