Fifa World Cup 2026: Biggest upset, 4-time champions Germany crushed by Ecuador, President declares National Holiday

• History made by Ecuador

• The President declared a national holiday

• Defeated Germany to qualify for knockout stage

Ecuador pulled off one of the biggest upsets in football history, FIFA World Cup 2026 has entered the knockout round. In a thrilling Group E match played in New York, Ecuador beat four-time champions Germany 2-1. After this historic performance, there was an atmosphere of jubilation across the country. Expressing pride in the country’s historic achievement, President Daniel Noboah declared a national holiday on Friday.

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Ecuador’s remarkable comeback

Gracias a los jugadores y al técnico que, a pesar de las críticos, los insultos y los bad ratos que pasaron, logarron recuperarse y darle esta immensa alegría al país ento.

¡Mañana, holiday!

Viva el Ecuador.

— Daniel Noboa Azin (@DanielNoboaOk) June 25, 2026

Prior to this match, Ecuador’s path was considered very difficult after a 1-0 loss to Ivory Coast and a goalless draw against Curacao. The team was underrated against the mighty Germany, but under the guidance of head coach Sebastien Bekasse, the players overcame the pressure of criticism and poor form to excel on the field.

President Noboa praised the team’s fighting spirit on social media platform ‘X’ and wrote, “Thanks to the players and coaches who, despite facing so much criticism, insults and difficult circumstances, made a remarkable comeback and brought this great joy to the whole country. Tomorrow will be a national holiday! Long live Ecuador.”

Germany took the lead

The match started in Germany’s favour, when Leroy Sane put the ball into the net with a superb finish from Florian Wirtz to give Germany an early 1-0 lead. The goal also caused some controversy, as the Ecuadorian players claimed that Aleksandar Pavlovic’s foot landed too high on Pedro Vite during the process of scoring, which was a foul. However, instead of being let down by this early setback, Ecuador showed more aggression and in just the ninth minute, Nielsen Angulo capitalized on a pass from midfield to fire a powerful long-range shot that beat veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to level the score at 1–1.

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2-1 win

The decisive moment of the match came in the 77th minute, when Kevin Rodríguez hit the post from a corner kick from the right. A ready Gonzalo Plata quickly slotted the ball into the net to make the score 2-1. Germany then did their best to equalize in the final moments and seven minutes of extra time, but Ecuador’s defense held on like a rock.

This is a historic victory for Ecuador Football A golden chapter has been set in history. This is only the second time that Ecuador have advanced from the group stage of a World Cup to reach the knockout stages; Earlier he had done this feat in 2006.