By RONALD BLUM, EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP):- Gonzalo Plata poked the ball past Manuel Neuer in the 77th minute, and Ecuador advanced to the knockout stage of the World Cup by rallying for a 2-1 win over Germany on Thursday.
Germany, which clinched first place in Group E with victories in its first two games, went ahead on Leroy Sané’s second-minute goal. Nilson Angulo scored Ecuador’s first goal of the tournament in the ninth minute.
Plata scored after a corner kick was nodded on by Kevin Rodríguez. Neuer, the 40-year-old Germany goalkeeper who came out of international retirement for the World Cup, was about the grasp the ball when Plata raised his left foot and with a toe put the ball into the net.
Ecuador finished third in the group with four points and advanced past the group stage for the second time, the first since a round of 16 game in 2002.