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It was a fast start for Germany. And it came from a bit of luck, too. Alex Pavlovic won the ball off a throw-in, but clipped Pedro Vite's face in his kicking motion. Florian Wirtz picked up the loose ball and fed Sane, who fired home. Despite extensive protestations from Ecuador, the goal stood.
“When you have such a good start to a game and you take the lead, you have to focus on the spaces. Today we lost control a little bit after we took the lead,” Nagelsmann said.
And Ecuador fought back. They knotted the game at 1-1 after Nilson Angulo fired into the bottom corner from 20 yards out - the South American nation's first goal of the tournament. The rest of the first half disintegrated into a sort of slog: lots of tackles, lots of intent, but few actual chances.
“It was difficult to adjust to Ecuador because they put pressure on us," he said.
The second sprang into life. Within 30 seconds, Germany thought they had a penalty when Kai Havertz was scythed down in the box. But the referee pulled it back due to a foul in the buildup. And then it all went wrong. When Germany looked to find a foothold, Ecuador swarmed. They needed a win to make it into the knockouts here, and their second-half performance suggested as much. A largely pro-Ecuador crowd bounced for the final 45 minutes, and the team responded in turn.
"After the half-time break, we really couldn’t get back into our rhythm and we tried to do our best. If it had been the knockout stage, we would have changed things around a little bit," Nagelsmann said.
Their second goal, in fact, was effectively willed into the net. Kevin Rodriguez jumped a little bit higher than Jonathan Tah. Gonzalo Plata stretched a little bit further than Manuel Neuer, and poked the ball into the net - sending what felt like his entire nation swarming down the sideline.
“That’s what life is about, learning how to suffer and having that imposture, faith, belief, poise, confidence. In the face of adversity we have always shown calmness. We had an idea of a way to work,” Ecuador manager Sebastian Beccacece - who sprinted to the corner flag in celebration - said after the game.
Germany chased the game in return, but Nagelsmann had rotated most of his starters by that point. And the bench was largely ineffective - full of intent but lacking in ideas.
This was not a game that needed winning. Yet the selection, setup, and drive suggested that Nagelsmann's side wanted three points here. Perhaps that makes this loss sting just a little.
“Defeat is never good, not even in a game when you cannot lose the group victory. We learn our lessons and go on,” Nagelsmann said.
GOAL rates Germany's players from New York/New Jersey Stadium...
