Soccer legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic had solid praises for Ecuador following their upset victory over Germany in Matchday 3 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday night.
Going into the match, Ecuador was at risk of elimination from the group stage. They underwhelmed in their first two games after losing 1-0 to Ivory Coast then disappointing in a scoreless draw against Curacao.
Ecuador needed to beat Germany to advance to the knockout rounds among the top eight third-place teams. And that they did after stunning the Germans 2-1, coming back after conceding in the first minutes of the match. Ibrahimovic reflected on the results after the game, describing it as a miracle for the South American side.
“I said it before the game; get one chance, you might get lucky. Get two chances, it’s a miracle. And to be honest, they got lucky and had a miracle by the chances. It doesn’t mean the game was not a good game; they had a fantastic performance. They won the game. When you play for a win, you play differently, you risk differently. The players need to take more risks, they need to attack more, they need to risk more, and it’s a different gameplay. So that’s why they won this game. Big compliments for them,” Ibrahimovic said on the FOX broadcast.
Zlatan gives his thoughts on Ecuador defeating Germany and advancing to the Round of 32
@Ibra_official pic.twitter.com/zVIKhz6EOR
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 25, 2026
What’s next for Ecuador and Germany after group play
It was certainly an important win for Ecuador as they punched their ticket to the knockout rounds after stunning Germany.
Ecuador now has its best World Cup campaign since 2006, the last time they reached the knockout stage. They finished the group stage with four points after getting one win, one draw and one loss. Germany ends the group phase with six points after getting two victories and one defeat.
Ecuador awaits its path in the Round of 32, while Germany begins its knockout path on June 29.
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