Ecuador struggles, Germany qualifies, Netherlands and Japan score big wins at World Cup

Germany secured its place in the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup with a comeback victory over Costa Rica. Despite conceding an early goal, Deniz Undav scored twice in the second half, including a stoppage-time winner, to seal the 2-1 win for the German side.

Meanwhile, Ecuador's World Cup hopes are in jeopardy after a goalless draw against tournament debutant Curacao. Goalkeeper Eloy Room was the hero for Curacao, making 15 saves to deny Ecuador. Ecuador now must defeat Germany in their final group match to have any chance of advancing, while Curacao, despite being considered the underdog, still has a chance to qualify.

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Well done to the Blue Wave, who were run over by Germany in their debut, today they got their first point in the tournament and go into the third match with options to seal their qualification.

The tournament also marked a significant milestone as the match between Japan and Tunisia became the 1,000th game in World Cup history. Japan celebrated the occasion with a dominant 4-0 victory over Tunisia, with Ayase Ueda scoring twice. The Netherlands also put on a strong performance, thrashing Sweden 5-1, with Brian Brobbey and Cody Gakpo both netting braces, putting them level with Japan atop Group F.

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And too bad for La Tri, who with one point in two outings are now conditioned to defeat Die Mannschaft.