Ecuador and Sweden Secure 4 Points in Final Group Matches, Boosting Round of 32 Hopes

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Ecuador has secured 4 points after a comeback victory against Germany in their final group stage match, making their advancement to the Round of 32 highly likely. Sweden, which finished 3rd in Group F after a draw with Japan, also recorded 4 points, further clouding the prospects for Hong Myung-bo's squad, which remains at 3 points.

Reporter Bae Jung-hoon has the story.

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Ecuador, facing potential elimination from the group stage, conceded an opening goal to Germany—who had already secured the top spot in the group—just two minutes into the match, but leveled the score seven minutes later.

Angulo thrilled Ecuadorian fans by firing a brilliant right-footed shot from outside the penalty box into the corner of the net.

Continuing to threaten the German goal with sharp attacks, Ecuador finally turned the game around in the 32nd minute of the second half.

Following a corner kick, Rodriguez headed the ball down, and Plata skillfully tapped it in to find the back of the net.

With this 2-1 comeback win, Group E's third-place team, Ecuador, has secured a favorable position for the Round of 32, while Ivory Coast, which defeated Curacao 2-0, also advanced to the Round of 32 as the group runner-up.

In Group F, tournament favorites the Netherlands secured first place in the group with a 3-1 victory over Tunisia. Japan, after a 1-1 draw with Sweden, finished second in the group and will face Brazil in the Round of 32 match on the 30th.

Sweden, finishing with 1 win, 1 draw, and 1 loss, placed third in Group F but has secured 4 points, making their advancement to the Round of 32 likely.

On the other hand, Hong Myung-bo's squad, having finished the group stage with 3 points, has slipped to 5th place among the 12 third-place teams, leaving their ticket to the Round of 32—granted to the top 8 teams—uncertain.

(Video Editing: Yoon Tae-ho)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.