Some players wait years for a World Cup moment. Nilson Angulo needed nine minutes.
The 22-year-old forward scored Ecuador’s first goal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 25, firing a long-range effort past Germany’s goalkeeper to level the Group E match at MetLife Stadium. Ecuador went on to win 2-1, and Angulo walked away with the FIFA Man of the Match award for his performance.
What happened on the pitch
Germany drew first blood through Leroy Sané in the early going. Angulo’s strike in the 9th minute cancelled out Sané’s opener and completely shifted the energy of the match.
Ecuador’s winning margin came courtesy of Gonzalo Plata, who netted in the 77th minute to seal a result that few outside South America saw coming.
