DFB team loses to Ecuador: Rüdiger and Raum start, Schlotterbeck out injured

Meanwhile, attacker Deniz Undav of VfB Stuttgart was once again only on the bench. The 29-year-old, who had scored three times as a substitute in the first two matches, was according to Nagelsmann's plan to be brought on during the game and demonstrate his goal threat as a joker. Nagelsmann announced the personnel decisions around 20 hours before kickoff at a press conference in Winston-Salem, which Undav also attended.

Ecuador under pressure, Germany without urgency

Ecuador needed the win to keep alive their chances of reaching the Round of 16 and accordingly played with confidence. The South Americans had entered the tournament on a run of 19 unbeaten matches but had previously drawn goalless against Curaçao and lost to Ivory Coast. Coach Sebastian Beccacece said before the game that the team's fate was in their own hands. "Unser Schicksal liegt immer noch in unseren Händen – oder besser gesagt in unseren Füßen", the Ecuadorian coach said.

The German side fell behind early. Leroy Sané scored after 1:49 minutes – the second-fastest goal in German World Cup history – but Ecuador hit back through Nilson Angulo in the 9th minute. Gonzalo Plata made it 2:1 in the 77th minute. Referee Tori Penso, the American official taking charge of her second match at this tournament, initially awarded Germany a penalty at the start of the second half but quickly reversed the decision after Sané had committed a foul in the build-up. Aleksandar Pavlovic survived a high challenge against Pedro Vite in the build-up to the German goal without consequence; VAR did not intervene.

Schlotterbeck's absence and a gesture

Defender Jonathan Tah formed the center-back partnership with Rüdiger after Schlotterbeck had suffered a torn ligament in his left ankle in the match against Ivory Coast. "Nico Schlotterbeck hat sich gegen die Elfenbeinküste einen Innenbandriss im linken Sprunggelenk zugezogen", the German camp said. "Der Innenverteidiger kann nicht mehr an der WM teilnehmen." Schlotterbeck nevertheless watched the match on crutches in the stadium and was greeted with applause from the fans. Nagelsmann later praised the gesture in an ARD interview as "Ein super Zeichen" and added with reference to the player's disappointment: "Er hätte auch sagen können: Ich fliege in den Urlaub."

Rüdiger and Raum thus made their first World Cup starts. Nagelsmann specifically praised the attitude of the Real Madrid professional, who had not been used previously. "Das Top-Verhalten von Toni, als er nicht gespielt hat, wird jetzt belohnt. Toni ist körperlich auf einem Top-Niveau", the head coach said. Brown only completed an individual program in Winston-Salem the day before the match and, according to the medical department's assessment, will be fit in time for the Round of 16.

Deniz Undav appeared relaxed at the eve-of-match press conference. "Wenn ich unzufrieden wäre, wäre ich nicht hier", said the striker, who in the first two matches had played only 56 and 58 minutes respectively, scoring three goals and assisting two more. "Ich bin zweimal von der Bank gekommen – und wir haben die Spiele gewonnen." A question about Lionel Messi, who tops the World Cup scoring chart with five goals and turned 39 a day before the match, the striker also answered with a smile: "Ich genieße seine Spiele. Er läuft zwar nur noch sieben oder acht Kilometer im Spiel. Aber was er mit dem Ball macht, ist überragend."

Undav remains the bench option

Nagelsmann explained Undav's role in the ARD interview: "Wer ist der Spieler im Kader, der der Finisher ist? Wir haben nicht allzu viele Spieler im Kader mit der Quote von Deniz. Dieser klassische Finisher im Kader ist nur er." Undav was brought on in the 60th minute but was unable to prevent the defeat. Overall, Nagelsmann has now used 17 of his 23 outfield players during the tournament.

Despite the defeat, Germany had already secured first place in Group E before this match – via the 2:1 stoppage-time win over Ivory Coast, in which Undav had come off the bench to decisive effect with a brace. An opportunity the German camp explicitly wanted to use to rest players and get personnel sharp for the knockout stage. "Wir müssen schon auch im Rhythmus bleiben für unsere nächsten Aufgaben", said Nagelsmann with an eye on the Round of 16. "Wir wollen uns auf die K.o.-Phase vorbereiten." Midfielder Nadiem Amiri also stressed: "Wir müssen im Rhythmus bleiben, jeder Sieg ist gut für uns."

In temperatures around 30 degrees Celsius, however, the Germans lacked their usual stability above all defensively. Against Curaçao and especially against Ivory Coast, the team had already shown weaknesses in tracking back and in duels. Those shortcomings were exposed again against Ecuador, whose attack had been largely disappointing for long spells but struck cold-bloodedly at the decisive moments. Angelo Stiller came on at half-time for the already-booked Pavlovic.

Ivory Coast reach the Round of 16

In the parallel match, Ivory Coast had beaten Curaçao 2:0 (1:0) in Philadelphia and qualified for the knockout stage of a World Cup for the first time in their federation's history. In front of 68,324 spectators, Nicolas Pépé scored in the 7th and 64th minutes. Undav's clubmate Yan Diomande of RB Leipzig provided the assist for the first goal. The Ivorian team, coached by Emerse Fae, is expected to face Norway or France in the Round of 16. Curaçao, the smallest nation ever to participate in a World Cup and managed by 78-year-old Dutchman Dick Advocaat, exited as group runners-up... fourth place.

The German coach reacted soberly to the defeat after the final whistle. "Im Laufe des Spiels werden wir wieder versuchen, gute Entscheidungen zu treffen", Nagelsmann said when asked about possible personnel consequences for the upcoming tasks. Looking ahead, he announced further changes if the situation required it: "Wir werden die Wechsel vornehmen, die wir müssen." Deniz Undav had already pledged to continue putting himself at the team's service: "Ich bin zweimal von der Bank gekommen – und wir haben die Spiele gewonnen."

Outlook on the Round of 16 in Boston

The German team now flies to Boston, where the Round of 16 takes place in Foxborough on Monday at 22:30 German time. The match will be broadcast by ZDF and MagentaTV. The World Cup final is scheduled for July 19 in New York. The DFB team has four days to heal its defensive wounds and rediscover its rhythm for the knockout phase.

With the Round of 16 looming, Nagelsmann's team faces a considerably higher workload than in the group stage. And it is precisely then that the team loses a key performer in central defense in Schlotterbeck for the remainder of the tournament. Rüdiger and Tah now form the new defensive core. At left-back, Raum is also called upon after his first World Cup outing, while options out wide are lacking in personnel.