GER vs ECU FIFA World Cup LIVE: Ecuador pull off a heist, beat Germany 2-1 in New York

Ecuador have pulled off a heist. They defeated Germany 2-1 in their final league game of the tournament. 

Germany attack again and again but Ecuador hold fort. Only a couple of minutes left before the final whistle. 

The free kick led to an extended spell of head tennis on the edge of the Ecuadorian box. Eventually, the ball was cleared, but Ecuador began to sit deep, desperately holding on to what they had. They still needed to do it for another seven minutes.

Raum had sent in a few good crosses from the left. Beier failed to win a header at the far post, but then drew a foul from Estupinan just outside the box. Raum stepped up to take the free-kick. However, nothing materialised from it. 

Ecuador’s tails were up now. Plata nearly released Preciado into the Germany box down the inside-right channel, but Neuer was alert to the danger and came off his line to smother the ball.

Ecuador take the lead against Germany. Gonzalo Plata shoots it to help Ecuador take the lead in the 77th minute of the game. 

Sane was through to the goal, but he hit straight at the keeper. 

Pascal Gross comes in for Florian Writz as Germany push for a decisive goal. 

Germany make another change to the XI. Beier replaces Nmecha in the midfield. 

Ecuador responded to Germany’s double change by making one of their own, taking off Franco and Valencia and bringing on Rodríguez and Preciado.

Wirtz shoots from the left-hand edge of the D. Blocked. Raum picks up the rebound on the left and loops a cross into the mixer. Galindez claims under pressure from Undav.

Yeboah had been busy since the restart and cut back from the right for Valencia, who took a shot from distance. Neuer parried it well, but it had got the crowd going.

Kai Havertz and Joshua Kimmich walk off the pitch. Deniz Undav comes in and so does Thiaw. 

Yeboah twisted and turned again, this time driving into the Germany box from the right and winning a corner. The set piece was delivered long and Caicedo rose at the far post to head narrowly wide from a tight angle. Ecuador, however, had started to look lively again.

Yeboah spun elegantly into space in the middle of the park and set Ecuador away on the counter. He fed the ball to Valencia, who inexplicably stopped on the halfway line and hesitated. That broke the momentum of the move.

Franco was booked for kicking a dead ball back onto the pitch as Musiala tried to take a quick throw-in. The second half so far had been largely administrative, with little real flow to the game.

The referee has overturned the penalty decision as Leroy Sane committed a foul on the build-up. Ecuador breathes a sigh of relief. 

Just 35 secs into the second half and Germany have been handed a penalty after a foul from Ordonez on Kai Havertz. Ecuador protest heavily. 

Ecuador begins the second half of the match. Will we see more goals? Let's wait and see. 

Wirtz tried to dribble his way through a cluster of three Ecuador defenders inside the box, but failed to produce any outcome. The referee called for the halftime. It's 1-1 in New York. 

Piero Hancapie picked up a yellow card for a foul on Leroy Sane. Just moments later, Pavlovic was shown a yellow. 

The hydration break definitely killed Ecuador's momentum. Germany have managed to control the possession now. 

Both teams took the intensity up a notch as the tackles started flying in. They were firm but fair, with neither side holding back. It was good, old-fashioned competitive football for a few minutes. 

Musaila had a decent chance to put Germany ahead, but a solid tackle from Ordonez denied the German. The ball goes out for a corner, but Germany failed to capitalise on it. 

Germany are struggling and struggling big time. They are not able to control the possession and are dependent on occasional breakthroughs. Ecuador, on the other hand, have been much more composed and have looked more threatening. 

Raum crossed from the left. Havertz rose highest and headed towards the goal, but straight at keeper Galindez. It was the first time Germany had shown any attacking intent for a while. Ecuador dominate possession for a while as the referee called for a hydration break. 

Franco is causing Germany all sorts of problems down the right. First, he swung in a cross that Kimmich does well to head clear under pressure. There are appeals for handball as the ball appears to graze his arm, but the referee waved play on. Moments later, Franco cut the ball back into a dangerous area, but it evaded every yellow shirt in the box. If he managed to pick out a teammate with one of these deliveries, Germany could have been in serious trouble.

Ecuador settle into a period of sustained possession, with Germany sitting off and allowing them time on the ball. The equaliser has clearly lifted Ecuador’s confidence. Hincapie drove forward down the left flank and shaped to deliver a cross, but Kimmich is quick to track back and shuts down the angle before the ball can be played into the box. They built two more attacks but again, lack that pedigree. Corner in the 22nd minute, but Neuer manages to push the ball away. 

Germany took the lead after just 1 minute and 49 seconds, marking their second-fastest goal in World Cup history. It was a lightning start that immediately set the tone of the match. Ivory Coast responded with an early strike of their own, scoring in the 9th minute (8:04 on the clock). It went down as the fastest goal in their World Cup history.

Plata dispossessed a hesitant Kimmich and immediately released Yeboah down the right flank. The Ecuador forward had a clear run into the box with no defender close to him, but the move was halted by the referee's whistle for what appeared to be a soft foul. Ecuador felt hard done by, with early decisions not going their way.

They were lacking intent in the final third? Well, Nilson Angulo's long-range banger settles the score. The German defence failed to mark him well , while it's far away from Manuel Neuer. Germany left stunned in the 9th minute of the game. It's 1-1 now. 

In the other game, Ivory Coast managed to take a 1-0 lead against Curacao. Nicolas Pepe scored in the seventh minute of the game. As things stand, Germany are leading the group and Ivory Coast second. 

Ecuador are pushing hard for an equaliser, but there hasn't been enough intent in the final third. They lack pace and also creativity. German defence have managed to keep them quiet so far. 

Leroy Sane's goal stands. VAR had a thorough check-up of a possible foul, but no! Florian Writz with the assist as Sane scored for the 18th time for Germany. 

Germany scores in under two minutes. Leroy Sane scores. However, Ecuador calls for a foul following a high boot. Germany celebrates nevertheless. 

Germany begin the first half. They are playing in their away kit, which is dark blue in colour. Ecuador are in their typical yellow. They kicked the ball out from the kickoff. Typical move. 

Germany and Ecuador players enter the ground. We will start with the national anthems first, before the kickoff. For now, Dei Dei of Shakira plays on the stadium speaker.

As things stand, Germany lead the race with 6 points, while Ivory Coast are second with three points. Ecuador and Curacao are third and fourth respectively, with one point each. Thus, if Germany manage to defeat Ecuador and Curacao somehow manage to beat Ivory Coast, we could witness history tonight. 

Despite scoring three goals in the last two games for Germany, Deniz Undav failed to find a spot in the playing XI. The only logical reason here is that coach Julian Nagelsmann do not want to change the combination, which has worked for them. On top of that, Kai Havertz helps tremendously in the build-up. Hence, Undav waits for his chance. 

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

Hello and welcome to the live coverage of the match between Germany and Ecuador from New York. With two wins on the trot, the Germans have already progressed to the Round of 32. Ecuador now need a win to confirm their berth. A high-voltage game we have on our hands.