Germany has turned possession of the ball into a rosary.

At 1 minute and 49 seconds into the match, Sané slotted the ball into the net. The goal came extremely quickly, but there was hardly any celebration.

Before the goal, Pavlovic had a high boot that struck an Ecuadorian player. On the BBC commentary panel, Joe Hart, Ellen White, and Lucas Leiva all reviewed it after the match and unanimously agreed: the goal should have been disallowed. The entire Ecuadorian team immediately surrounded the referee to protest, but it was futile. The referee pointed to the center circle, ruling the goal valid. A bloody start often fails to warm the game. Sure enough, seven minutes later, Angulo took a shot from the edge of the penalty area. The ball threaded through the legs of German defenders and nestled into the net, making it 1-1. This strike ended Ecuador's 242-minute goal drought in the World Cup finals.

The number 242 will appear once more later.

For this match, Nagelsmann benched the team's top scorer, Undav. In the previous two matches, Undav had come off the bench and racked up 3 goals and 2 assists in 56 minutes, even earning a higher FIFA official rating than Messi and Mbappé. He was the first German since Klose in 2002 to score in his first two World Cup matches. Yet, in the final group stage match, with top spot in Group E already secured and qualification guaranteed, this forward, the team's most prolific shooter, couldn't even secure a starting place. Bild's post-match headline was blunt: "So sind wir bald raus!" Meaning: If we keep playing like this, we'll be going home soon. The core of the criticism boiled down to one point: Since you weren't planning to go all out for this match, why not let the key players rest, and instead leave the most prolific goal-scorer on the bench?

Undav's post-match comments were very restrained. "As a player, who doesn't want to start every game? It's completely normal. But the situation now has worked well, too. I've proven I can score, and I've proven I belong here." His words were watertight, but hearing "worked well" along with the 1-2 scoreline sounded more like a veiled criticism.

The average age of Germany's starting lineup was 28 years and 242 days, making it the oldest World Cup starting XI in 28 years. Kimmich, Neuer, Pavlovic, Wirtz, Havertz, Sané—every familiar face available was on the pitch. Schlottebeck and Nathaniel Brown were absent due to injury, with Rüdiger and Raum stepping into the starting lineup. The defense had new faces, but the core remained the legs that had run hard for two matches. After the match, Nagelsmann admitted, "The players were physically exhausted," and acknowledged that Ecuador was more deserving of the victory. But if he knew they were running on empty, why use the oldest lineup in 28 years for a match that had no bearing on qualification?

The answer lies in the possession stats.

Germany had 61% possession, completing 592 passes to Ecuador's 379. Germany's passing accuracy was 87.3%, and they led in corners and shots. The data sheet looked like a domination. But the expected goals (xG) told the truth: Ecuador 1.51, Germany 0.65. A disparity of more than double. Ecuador's shots were incisive, mostly taken from dangerous areas. Germany's 11 shots were mostly speculative efforts from distance, many of them wasted. 592 passes produced an xG of 0.65—meaning it took an average of 911 passes to generate one expected goal. The ball was circulated smoothly, like counting prayer beads, but they forgot the prayer itself.

The first-half statistics had already exposed the problem. Germany led 7-2 in shots, had 62% possession, and led 2-1 in shots on target, completely dominating the game on the surface, but the score was 1-1. Ecuador needed just two shots to score one goal; Germany fired seven shots and only got one controversial goal. The accounts were settled in the first half; the second half was just a formality.

In the 77th minute, Kevin Rodríguez flicked the ball on at the near post, and Plata got to the ball ahead of Neuer to make it 2-1. The entire goal sequence was simple and brutal: one cross, one run, one touch. That was all Ecuador needed to topple an opponent with 60% possession.

On the same night Ecuador's 242-minute goal drought ended, Germany's oldest starting lineup in 28 years—average age 28 years and 242 days—was knocked over on the New Jersey turf. The tired legs of the veterans met a stomach that had been hungry for four matches. The kick was well earned.

With this victory, Ecuador accumulated 4 points and advanced to the Round of 32 as one of the best third-placed teams, returning to the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in 20 years—their last appearance was in 2006. President Noboa declared a national holiday for the next day. On the German side, they finished with 6 points from 3 matches, top of the group, and walked into the knockout stages with expressionless faces.

Nagelsmann said after the match: "We truly weren't in a desperate situation, and the players gave it everything." He also said, "The knockout stage is what matters." Kimmich's assessment was much shorter and more honest: "Germany's performance in the second half was terrible."

On the New Jersey turf, the Germans passed the ball 592 times. The Ecuadorians, with just 3 shots on target, exchanged that for a national holiday.