SOCCER: Ecuador president declares national holiday after team reach World Cup knockout phase

Ecuador President Daniel Noboa declared a national holiday on Friday after the country’s national soccer team secured a dramatic place in the World Cup knockout stage with a shock 2-1 victory over Germany.

“Thanks to the players and the coach who, despite the criticism, the insults, and the tough moments they went through, managed to recover and give this immense joy to the entire country. Tomorrow, a holiday!” Noboa said in a post on X.

Ecuador entered their final Group E match needing a win after a loss to Ivory Coast and a draw with Curacao. The team delivered under pressure, overcoming an early goal from Germany to complete a comeback victory that sparked celebrations among fans at a sold-out stadium in the New York/New Jersey area.

Germany had already secured qualification to the knockout rounds as group winners, while Ivory Coast finished second after a 2-0 win over Curacao.

With the result, Ecuador advanced as one of the best third-placed teams. It marks only the second time the South American nation has reached the World Cup knockout stage, having previously done so in the 2006 tournament in Germany. -Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford/Reuters