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The second round of Groups E and F of the produced results on Saturday that completely reshape the scenario of both groups: Germany secured its mathematical qualification to the round of sixteen, Netherlands responded with a thrashing, and Ecuador is on the brink of elimination after an unexpected scoreless draw.
The match also confirmed Japan's ticket to the next round, while Tunisia was mathematically eliminated without having scored a single point in the tournament.
Germany recovers and secures its qualification
At BMO Field in Toronto, Germany had to endure more than expected to defeat Ivory Coast 2-1. The Africans opened the scoring and posed challenges for the Europeans for long stretches, far from the performance they showcased in the 7-1 win against Curaçao on the first matchday.
It was Deniz Undav, who came on from the bench, that changed the course of the match with a brace that completed the comeback. With six points from two matches, Germany arrives at the final date without any pressure and with room to rotate their lineup.
Ecuador, with no goals and no margin for error
The major disappointment of the day occurred at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, where Ecuador failed to overcome Curaçao, resulting in a scoreless draw that leaves them with just one point in Group E.
The selection of Sebastián Beccacece launched 29 shots without hitting the target, dominated territorially but lacked decisiveness in the final meters, the same issue that had already cost them defeat against Ivory Coast in their debut.
The standout player of the match was Curacao's goalkeeper, Eloy Room, who made 15 saves against Ecuador, the highest number recorded in a World Cup match without extra time. The absolute record is held by Tim Howard with 16 saves, achieved against Belgium in Brazil 2014, but during extra time.
Ecuador now needs to win against Germany in the final match to stay alive. The only glimmer of hope for La Tri is that the Europeans have already secured first place and could field an alternate team.
The Netherlands crushes Sweden and levels Group F
After the draw against Japan in their debut, the Netherlands responded with authority at the NRG Stadium in Houston. The Oranje crushed Sweden 5-1 with a dominant performance that included braces from Brian Brobbey —in the fifth and 17th minutes— and Cody Gakpo —47th and 54th—, along with a goal from Crysencio Summerville at the 89th minute. Denzel Dumfries provided two assists. The only Swedish goal came from Anthony Elanga.
The result left Group F wide open and sank a Sweden team that had come into the match with confidence after thrashing Tunisia 5-1 in their opening game.
Japan secures their spot; Tunisia is eliminated
Japan defeated Tunisia 4-0 at the BBVA Stadium with goals from Daichi Kamada, Ayase Ueda (who scored twice), and Junya Ito, securing their qualification with four points. Tunisia, which also lost its coach during the group stage, bids farewell to the tournament without having scored or accumulated any points.
Group E Table: Germany 6 pts · Ivory Coast 3 pts · Ecuador 1 pt · Curacao 1 pt.
Group F Table: Japan 4 pts · Netherlands 4 pts · Sweden 3 pts · Tunisia 0 pts.
Ecuador, which has accumulated one loss and one draw in its first two matches, will need to achieve what it failed to do in both previous games in the final match: score goals and win.
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