Tactical suicide, public execution, a goalkeeper who refused to admit mistakes: Germany 1 2 Ecuador

1 minute and 49 seconds. Sane puts the ball into the Ecuadorian goal, and the scoreboard at the MetLife Stadium flashes Germany's second-fastest goal in World Cup history. It seemed like this night in New York was headed for another one-sided script.

Seven minutes later, Angulo equalized. In the 77th minute, Plata, amidst a corner kick scramble, poked the ball into the net ahead of Neuer. 1-2. Germany's 11-game winning streak was broken by a team that hadn't scored a single goal in its first two World Cup matches.

The top spot in Group E was already locked up. A 7-1 win over Curaçao, a 2-1 win over Ivory Coast, securing advancement early. The final round against Ecuador was supposed to be dead time for substitutes to find their rhythm. Nagelsmann’s starting lineup didn't suggest that. But after being equalized, Germany started to retreat. 61% possession felt like the ball was being passed around like a string of prayer beads, spinning without ever being sent into dangerous areas.

Shots were 11-7, corners 2-3. At first glance, Germany was still dominating. Expected goals, however, told the real story: Germany 0.65, eleven shots failing to create a single clear-cut chance; Ecuador 1.51, three shots on target all finding the net. The Ecuadorian players pulled Germany's formation apart with their relentless running. You could see who was chasing, and who was waiting.

The truly compelling part after the game wasn't in the mixed zone, but in the MagentaTV studio. Klopp, Hummels, and Müller sat behind one table. The former Liverpool coach, the former Dortmund defender, and the veteran Bayern and Germany forward. Three pillars of German football, all criticizing the same match on the same night.

Klopp didn't hold back. "We chose the wrong method on this pitch and played the wrong football," he said. He stated that Germany had completely lost attacking depth from early in the match, the midfield was overrun, and losing the ball in dangerous areas was a disaster. Hummels called the match a wake-up call and immediately questioned the team's character: pressing lacked aggression, depth runs were insufficient, no one was coming short for the final pass, and the entire line was timid and unbalanced.

Nagelsmann didn't spare himself in the press conference either. "After the goal, we began a tactical suicide with our positioning," he said with a calm tone, like reading an autopsy report. Asked if Ecuador fought harder, he directly dismissed Undav's post-match comments as nonsense. Undav's original statement wasn't particularly inflammatory: "Ecuador was more aggressive, sharper than us. We need to learn a lesson." For the head coach to publicly rebuke his own forward in front of the media was an operation more chilling than the match itself.

The 40-year-old Neuer stood at the center of another storm. For Plata's winning goal from a corner, Kevin Rodríguez flicked the ball on with his head. Neuer was a fraction late coming out, allowing Plata to get to it first. Asked by reporters after the match if it was his mistake, Neuer flatly denied it, insisting the ball deflected and everything was "perfectly normal." That same night, Ecuador captain Moisés Caicedo — the Chelsea Caicedo — recorded an 89% pass completion rate and 7 defensive contributions, collapsing onto the pitch at the final whistle. A 40-year-old goalkeeper refused to admit fault, while a 24-year-old midfielder gave his all. 1-2 was the final bill.

Havertz provided another dose of dark humor on the pitch. After Hincapié was booked for pulling down Sane, his Arsenal club teammate Havertz ran to the referee to plead his case, as if forgetting they were wearing different colored shirts at that moment.

Kroos and Podolski continued the criticism on a TikTok show. Podolski said, "Sometimes a punch clears the head." Kroos was more direct: "Playing against us should be a nightmare. Right now, we can't do that." 1990 World Cup winner Matthäus raised the tone to its highest in his Sky Sports column: "This is simply unacceptable. Germany cannot present itself as a football giant while playing like a mediocre team. Ecuador wanted to win more than we did today, and we might have been missing one or two percent of commitment."

Monday, in Boston, the Round of 16 awaits against Paraguay. Ecuador, with one corner kick play, shattered the dignity of Germany's 11-game winning streak. If Germany gets past Paraguay, a possible meeting with France lies ahead. The three men in the MagentaTV studio have laid down the gauntlet, and Nagelsmann's "tactical suicide" is making global headlines. He now needs to figure out one thing first: how to get these players, publicly condemned by the legends, to learn how to receive the ball in dangerous areas again.