New Jersey, June 26 -- Ecuador secured a sensational, headline-making 2-1 win over Germany in their final Group E FIFA World Cup clash at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on June 25, registering a place in the round of 32 and in the World Cup knockouts for only the second time.

Having registered the best finish back in the 2006 edition in Germany by qualifying for the round of 16, Ecuador managed to win despite a historic strike from Leroy Sane in 1:49 minutes. It was their second-fastest WC goal after Ernst Lehner's strike against Austria in 1934, which came in the opening minute. A ninth-minute equaliser from Nilson Angulo and a late 77th-minute strike from Gonzalo Plata sealed Ecuador's win that they would remember for ages.

Even though...