By Rishabh Jaiswal; Reuters.
Photo Credit: FIFA.
Ecuador President Daniel Noboa declared Friday a national holiday after the country’s soccer team reached the knockout phase of the World Cup with a shock 2-1 win over Germany.
“Thanks to the players and the coach who, despite the criticism, the insults, and the tough moments they went through, managed to recover and give this immense joy to the entire country. Tomorrow, a holiday!” Noboa said in a post on X.
Ecuador needed victory in their final Group E match on Thursday following a defeat by Ivory Coast and a draw with Curacao.
The South American side conceded early against the Germans but fought back to secure the win, sparking celebrations among fans at a sold-out New York/New Jersey stadium.
Germany had already been assured of qualification as group winners. Ivory Coast finished second after their 2-0 win over Curacao.
Ecuador qualified as one of the best eight third-placed teams, reaching the World Cup knockout stages for only the second time. They advanced to the round of 16 at the 2006 tournament in Germany.
Meanwhile Sweden salvaged a 1-1 draw with Japan as both sides confirmed their progress to the knockout rounds on Thursday after Anthony Elanga curled in a 62nd-minute equaliser to earn Graham Potter’s team a share of the points in Group F.
Elsewhere Australia booked their place in the World Cup’s round of 32 on Thursday with a cagey 0-0 draw against Paraguay that delighted pragmatic coach Tony Popovic but left the South Americans with a nervous wait to see if they will advance and Netherlands overcame sorry Tunisia 3-1 on Thursday to top World Cup Group F, avoiding a tricky encounter with Brazil in the last 32.