Ecuador advances to World Cup knockout rounds, beats Germany 2-1 on Plata's 77th-minute goal

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — A little flick of Gonzalo Plata’s big toe helped Ecuador make a great escape.

Plata poked the ball past Manuel Neuer in the 77th minute and lifted Ecuador to a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Germany on Thursday and into the knockout round of the World Cup for the first time since 2006.

“Life is different now. We suffered a lot," said Plata, a 25-year-old winger who scored his ninth international goal. “We suffered too much in the first two matches. We would have liked to secure qualification much earlier, but now we’re going forward more hungry, knowing we have to give it our all.”

Ecuador, which has lost only one of its last 22 games, finished third in Group E with four points and advanced past the group stage for the second time, headed to a possible matchup with Mexico on Tuesday in Mexico City.

A four-time champion already assured of advancement by winning its first two games, Germany will play its round of 32 game Monday at Foxborough, Massachusetts, most likely against Paraguay, Australia or Sweden.

“On Monday it’s important that we start well," Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann said through a translator.

Germany's winning streak was stopped at 11 games, one shy of the team record set in 1979-80.

"The difference was today that the opponent wanted to win more than us, and you could really feel it, especially in the second half,” Germany midfielder Joshua Kimmich said.

Germany went ahead on Leroy Sané's second-minute goal. Aleksandar Pavlović chested the ball and ended up kicking Pedro Vite in the head following Nathaniel Brown’s throw-in, but American referee Tori Penso didn't whistle a foul. Pavlović passed to Florian Wirtz, who centered to Sané just inside the penalty area to beat goalkeeper Hernán Galíndez.

Nilson Angulo equalized in the ninth minute with Ecuador's first goal of the tournament following a 1-0 loss to Ivory Coast and a 0-0 draw with Curaçao. Felix Nmecha lost the ball in midfield to Vite. The midfielder passed to Angulo, who dribbled toward goal and beat Neuer to the far post from just outside the area.

Penso originally awarded Germany a penalty kick less than 30 seconds into the second half after Joel Ordóñez took down Kai Havertz, but a video review ruled Sané had first fouled Vite.

With the crowd tensing as time ran down, Plata scored after Vite's corner kick was nodded on by Kevin Rodríguez, who was 6 yards out at the near post. Neuer, the 40-year-old Germany goalkeeper who ended two years of international retirement for the World Cup, was about to grasp the ball when Plata raised his left foot and stabbed it into the net.

Sebastián Beccacece, an Argentine who has coached Ecuador for two years, sprinted to the front of the stands, his shoulder-length blond hair flowing, to hug his wife, Patricia Persson. He had been pilloried after the poor start and paraphrased a lyric from Argentine rock band Callejeros.

“In loneliness you cannot always listen to what you hear. You just keep pushing forward. You ignite your fire and you continue,” he said.

A crowd of 80,663 at MetLife Stadium was mostly in Ecuador's yellow. FIFA said it boosted attendance to a record 3,587,539 in the 56th game of the expanded World Cup, one more than the 52 matches for the 1994 tournament in the U.S.

“We felt at home in all these stadiums,” Rodríguez said.

Ecuador had prepared to return to its training camp in Columbus, Ohio, rather than head home to South America.

“They told us: `You will be back here,'” he said. “The staff in the kitchen, in the spa, even the drivers.”

Ecuador isn't sure of its next opponent or even where the match will be played, so fans can't lock in travel just yet.

“I hope they brought plenty of clothes in their luggage," Plata said.

AP Sports Writers Eric Núñez and Stephen Whyno contributed to this report.

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Ecuador's Gonzalo Plata (19) scores a go-ahead goal on Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer during the World Cup Group E soccer match in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Ecuador goalkeepers celebrate at the end of the World Cup Group E soccer match between Ecuador and Germany in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Ecuador players celebrate at the end of the World Cup Group E soccer match between Ecuador and Germany in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Ecuador's Gonzalo Plata, center right, celebrates scoring his side's second goal against Germany during the World Cup Group E soccer match in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Ecuador's Gonzalo Plata (19) celebrates scoring his side's second goal against Germany during the World Cup Group E soccer match in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Ecuador's Gonzalo Plata, center right, celebrates scoring his side's second goal against Germany during the World Cup Group E soccer match in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Ecuador's Pedro Vite celebrates Ecuador's Gonzalo Plata scoring his side's second goal against Germany during the second half of a World Cup Group E soccer match in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

NEW YORK (AP) — The Chicago Cubs have patched a hole in their depleted rotation by acquiring struggling left-hander David Peterson in a trade with the New York Mets.

The deal was announced before Thursday’s series finale between the teams at Citi Field.

“We’re hopeful that we can get a starting pitcher that can kind of solidify some kind of needs for us and hopefully give him a fresh start and get him back to some success that he’s had,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said.

Chicago president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said the teams were discussing a Peterson deal for about six weeks but that negotiations ramped up after the Cubs placed Ben Brown and Edward Cabrera on the 15-day injured list on Wednesday, adding to their injury woes in their rotation. Brown has a neck strain, and Cabrera is sidelined with a left hamstring strain.

Jameson Taillon, Cade Horton and Justin Steele also are on the IL. Matthew Boyd was activated from the injured list ahead of his start on Thursday in Brown’s spot.

New York received minor league infielder Cole Mathis in the trade. The 22-year-old Mathis, a second-round pick in the 2024 amateur draft, is batting .272 with 10 homers and 39 RBIs in 39 games over two stops this year.

The Cubs are hopeful their infield defense will allow Peterson — who has a 52.9% groundball rate — to benefit from the change of scenery. Chicago has one of baseball’s best defensive infields, and New York committed six errors — all in the infield — during Wednesday night’s 10-5 loss in the second game of a doubleheader.

“He’s been a really good pitcher in the big leagues, throws strikes, keeps the ball on the ground, which is something we haven’t done particularly well,” Hoyer said.

Peterson broke out in 2024, when he posted a 2.90 ERA in 21 starts following hip surgery before recording his first career save by getting the final three outs of the Mets’ wild card series-clinching win over the Milwaukee Brewers.

He was also terrific for much of last year, making the NL All-Star team and throwing his first career shutout while going 8-5 with a 3.18 ERA in his first 24 starts.

But Peterson had a 10.36 ERA over his last six starts, and the rough finish carried over into this year. The 30-year-old, who is eligible for free agency after the season, is 3-6 with a 6.09 ERA in eight starts and eight relief appearances.

He has a 10.97 ERA in three appearances this month. He allowed four earned runs and six hits in four innings in a 6-2 loss at Philadelphia on Sunday.

“He’s an All-Star last year and then kind of everything went the other way,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Credit to the coaches that were here last year that put everything (into) continuing to help him (and) this year’s coaching staff. But it just didn’t work.”

Peterson was selected by New York in the first round of the 2017 draft out of the University of Oregon. He made his major league debut in 2020, when he went 6-2 with a 3.44 ERA in nine starts and one relief appearance, and was the Mets’ longest-tenured player at the time of the trade.

“It’s a tough one because you understand this is a business, but especially from my end, I had a really good relationship with ‘Petey,’” Mendoza said. “This is a guy that will come in the office and have coffee and just talk about life.”

Peterson hadn’t yet suited up for the Cubs by first pitch Thursday night. He is expected to join Chicago for this weekend’s three-game series at the Milwaukee Brewers.

Counsell said he talked to Peterson Thursday morning and sensed some excitement as well as some surprise regarding the trade.

“I think you could hear in his voice — very normal when a player’s been with an organization for 10 years and it’s their first organization and you’re traded,” Counsell said.

In a pair of corresponding moves, the Cubs designated right-hander Yosver Zulueta for assignment and optioned right-hander Gavin Hollowell to Triple-A Iowa.

The Mets placed infielder Marcus Semien on the 10-day injured list with a left hip flexor strain and recalled right-hander Daniel Duarte and infielder Ronny Mauricio from Triple-A Syracuse.

Semien was batting just .214 with a .613 OPS, the latter of which was the ninth-lowest in the majors among qualified batters entering Thursday.

Mendoza said Semien has been battling the hip issue on and off all season but that it has gotten worse over the last 10 days. Semien committed two errors Wednesday night.

Juan Soto returned to the Mets’ lineup as designated hitter Thursday night after sitting out the doubleheader with a stiff back that appeared during Tuesday’s 9-6 loss.

AP Sports Writer Jay Cohen and AP freelancer Jerry Beach contributed to this report.

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New York Mets relief pitcher David Peterson delivers during the second inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Sunday, June 21, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)