Ecuador defeated Germany 2-1 to reach the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 2006. Thanks to Jalo Plata’s goal in the 77th minute, Ecuador made a brilliant comeback after trailing and registered a win to finish third in Group-E, thereby getting a ticket to the Round of 32. Ecuador has lost only one of its last 22 matches. It may face Mexico in the knockout on Tuesday.
On the other hand, four-time champion Germany, which has already secured a place in the knockouts by winning its first two matches, will play its round of 32 match on Monday. The team is likely to face either Paraguay, Australia or Sweden. Germany’s consecutive winning streak ended at 11 matches with this defeat, just one match short of the team record set in 1979–80.
Also read: Rishabh Pant lost Rs 12 crore, who else has suffered such a huge loss in IPL?
Ivory Coast in knockout for the first time
Thanks to two goals from Nicolas Pepe, Ivory Coast defeated Curacao 2-0 and entered the World Cup knockout stage for the first time. Ivory Coast had beaten Ecuador 1-0 in their first match of the tournament but lost to Germany in their second match of Group E. The Ivory Coast team will now face France or Norway, who are second in Group I, in the knockout on June 30. Curaçao needed to win but failed to become the smallest nation to qualify for the knockout stage.
Pepe, who plays for Spanish club Villarreal, gave Ivory Coast the lead in the seventh minute of the match, after which the team maintained its dominance throughout the match. Ivory Coast needed only a draw to advance to the next round but they played with full spirit and did not give Curacao any chance to equalise.
Also read: India comes close to semi-finals by crushing Bangladesh, havoc for Radha-Shefali
Ivory Coast was getting a lot of support from the spectators in the stadium and when Pepe sealed the victory with a thunderous left-footed shot in the 64th minute, the fans wearing orange jerseys jumped with joy. Pepe was taken off three minutes later, so he could get some more rest for what would be the biggest match in World Cup history for his national team on 30 June.
Comments are closed.