Even on the best of days, the mountain ahead of Ecuador was a tall one to surmount. Having been beaten by the Côte d’Ivoire and drawn with Curaçao before this game, Ecuador had to beat Germany if they were to have any chance of qualifying for the next round. And they did so in style, with a comeback that saw them win 2-1 after going down 1-0 within the opening minutes of the game.
With scarcely two minutes on the clock, Florian Wirtz set up Leroy Sane, who duly scored his first goal of the tournament. It would have been enough to knock the wind out of most, but the Ecuadorians weren’t deterred, and their fans were in strong voice, belting out chants of Sí, se puede (yes, we can) right from the kickoff. And the team proved them right.
Soon, the fan’s energy fuelled La tri, as Sunderland’s Nilson Angulo nestled the ball into Manuel Neuer’s far corner from the edge of the box. Increasingly, as the game went on, Ecuador grew into it and found a lot of joy down the flanks, and held firm in defence with a compact low block.
What followed was a battle of attrition, but Colombia’s intensity and desire was plain to see for all. The Ecuadorian resolve would pay off, as Rodríguez flicked the ball onto Gonzalo Plata, who scored from close range to make the Ecuadorian fans erupt in joy. The scenes were maddeningly beautiful; Sebastián Beccacece, the Ecuador coach, was out of his dugout in a flash upon seeing the goal scored and, overcome with emotion, ran to his family to celebrate with them. It was the kind of pure joy that only the beautiful sport brings forth.
Ecuador hung on with steely resolve, but Germany were toothless in attack. And so Ecuador ran out winners against Germany, and they qualified for the knockout stages for the first time since 2006. Such was their joy that the nation declared a national holiday in celebration of it, but the fans didn’t need the memo, as they danced long into the night. Viva Joga Bonito!
