By Amy Tennery
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey, June 25 (Reuters) - Ecuador's World Cup nightmare turned into a dream, as La Tri's once seemingly doomed campaign was resurrected against Germany in a remarkable conclusion to Group E on Thursday.
Ecuador were behind early on but Gonzalo Plata extended his toe to poke in the winner in the 77th minute to complete the turnaround against the four-time champions. The South Americans finished on four points and are guaranteed a place in the knockout stage as one
of the best third-place finishers.
The sea of yellow in the stands shook the New York New Jersey stadium with their celebrations, as players collapsed onto the pitch following a win that the once-maligned coach Sebastian Beccacece likened to achieving the "impossible."
BECCACECE EMBRACED BY FANS
It was a scene few could have imagined only a day prior, when Beccacece was forced to acknowledge that Ecuador's fans, quite simply, did not like him after the team squandered what once seemed to be a promising run-up to the tournament.
Second to only Lionel Messi's Argentina in qualifying, they entered the tournament on a 19-match unbeaten streak, allowing their fans to dream of a deep run at the tournament, but lost to Ivory Coast in their opener.
They then suffered a humiliating 0-0 draw to tournament debutants Curacao, creating plenty of scoring opportunities with 28 shots that they were unable to capitalise on.
But all that misery was seemingly forgotten as Beccacece sprinted up and down the side of the pitch after each of Ecuador's two goals.
The Argentine's irrepressible athleticism saw him jump several feet into the stands to hug his supporters following the win, and he was mobbed by nearby fans, days after his family got into a verbal confrontation with Ecuador supporters in the stands at the Curacao match.
Back on the turf, he danced to Alicia Keys' "Empire State of Mind," as Ecuador booked their first trip to the knockout stage in 20 years.
"I invite everyone to keep united," he said. "That's what we did today."
The win came 20 years after their last World Cup meeting with Germany, a 3-0 loss in Berlin, but this time the crowd at the 80,000-seat stadium were overwhelmingly in Ecuador's favour.
Asked by a television reporter what it meant for him to qualify for the next round, Beccacece said: "It is not what it means for me, it's about what it means for the people in Ecuador. So, please, let them enjoy this moment," and walked away.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in East Rutherford, New Jersey, additional reporting by Fernando KallasEditing by Christian Radnedge)
