Ecuador 2-1 Germany ratings: Caicedo rises to the occasion, Tah struggles | OneFootball

Ecuador reached the World Cup last 16 with a 2-1 win over Germany, Caicedo leading by example. It mirrors their 2006 progress, while Germany looked anything but secure.

Germany struck inside two minutes, but Sunderland winger Nilson Angulo levelled on nine with a clever right-foot finish through Aleksandar Pavlovic's legs past Manuel Neuer. L'Équipe notes that Caicedo, Angulo and Gonzalo Plata were each rated 7, and highlighted Jonathan Tah's troubles.

Captaining in place of Enner Valencia, the Chelsea midfielder mixed short and long passing with tireless defensive work, and created the chance that Plata put wide in the 73rd minute. It marked a clear step up on his first two outings.

A shaky moment between Tah and Neuer on 72 minutes almost gifted Plata, then from a corner on 77 Gonzalo Plata slipped in behind Tah to make it 2-1, with Neuer slow to react.

Plata, powerful and direct for Flamengo, had missed chances but his decisive touch sent Ecuador through. His link with Valencia worked, and Caicedo, Angulo and John Yeboah repeatedly found them.

At left back, RB Leipzig's David Raum, in for the injured Nathaniel Brown, was frequently out of position and struggled against Yeboah. The gap to Brown, who is set to join Bayern, looked stark.

Neuer, 40, lacked sharpness on Angulo's strike and on the winner, though he did repel a Valencia effort after the break.

Source: L'Équipe