Sí, se puede – yes, we can – was the chant that rang out from the sea of 55,000 yellow shirts as Ecuador’s final group match kicked off.

Despite a flat start to their World Cup campaign, there was a genuine belief that an upset against a full-strength Germany was possible. They had no other choice: having been shut out by Eloy Room’s heroics for Curaçao, Sebastián Beccacece’s side had to win to progress. Gonzalo Plata’s 77th-minute strike sparked wild and emotional celebrations, assuring their place in the last 32 as a best third-placed team – and a first knockout match since 2006.

Although top spot in the group was secured, Julian Nagelsmann made only injury-induced changes to his starting XI. As the German coach explained on the eve of the match, having a regular first-choice side took precedence over distributing playing time across the squad.

Two minutes in, Aleksandar Pavlovic knocked the ball past Pedro Vite with a daringly high boot before finding Florian Wirtz in the box. The Liverpool forward set up Leroy Sané on the edge of the box, who tucked away his first goal of the tournament into the bottom corner. The protests over Pavlovic’s challenge for the ball were lengthy but futile.

The fans in yellow were undeterred, though. Chants of encouragement soon turned to jubilation as Ecuador found a response. Sunderland’s Nilson Angulo, one of two new faces in Beccacece’s lineup, found Manuel Neuer’s far corner from the edge of the box. The two Germans who had created the opener were at fault: Wirtz lost the ball to the assist-maker Vite and Pavlovic let the ball run through his legs.

Whether from Alan Franco on one wing or Angulo on the other, Ecuador had evidently sensed Germany’s weak spots and pushed on relentlessly down the sides, making Neuer work on more than one occasion. It would take another 15 minutes for a shaken Germany to threaten again, this time in the form of a Kai Havertz header straight at Hernán Galíndez.

Germany regained a grip on the match after the hydration break, but Galíndez was left largely untroubled. Ecuador’s defence, half of which was made up of Champions League finalists, had finally found its footing, leaving their opponents frustrated on the edge of the penalty area.

As half-time approached, the sí, se puede chants became louder as Ecuador went toe-to-toe with the four-time champions. Having been handed the ball in midfield several times, though, their counterattacks were blunted by poor decision-making and last-ditch blocks.

The second half nearly began in similar fashion to the first, as Germany were awarded a penalty when Joel Ordóñez bundled Havertz over. La Tri were eventually spared when a video replay showed Sané fouled Vite earlier in the move.

At the heart of the action for Ecuador was John Yeboah, who weaved through the Germany midfield on several occasions. Few of the Venezia winger’s initiatives developed into full chances, however, even if they did allow his teammates to maintain the high-intensity approach that had them challenging the group leaders.

Nagelsmann’s side, meanwhile, barely threatened aside from the move that led to a penalty shout. It took until the hour mark for their top scorer, Deniz Undav to come on. The Stuttgart striker had insisted that he was “happy to accept” his supersub role on the eve of the match, but evidently felt that he could affect matches from the first whistle.

Ecuador returned from the second hydration break bolstered in their belief, having successfully kept Germany at bay. Their best chance of the second half until then came from a mix-up between Jonathan Tah and Neuer, which allowed Kevin Rodríguez to latch on to the ball before finding Plata in the middle. The Flamengo forward’s shot flew just wide of the top corner.

The striker redeemed himself minutes later. Rodríguez was again at the heart of the action, flicking on the corner he had won himself after his shot was blocked by Angelo Stiller. The ball fell once again to Plata, who flicked it on with the outside of a boot past Neuer.

Once they took the lead, Ecuador rarely looked like conceding any momentum. Another chance fell to Ángelo Preciado, this time well covered by Neuer, before Ecuador eventually dropped back to defend their precious lead.

David Raum’s deliveries from the left continued to serve as Germany’s main creative threat, but a valiant Ecuador remained assured throughout the final moments. By the time the match-winner Plata had taken the ball into the corner deep into stoppage time, the celebrations were already rippling through the sea of yellow in the stadium.

The wildest of celebrations at full-time came from Beccacece, who leapt straight into the stands to join his family. The head coach had been facing intense scrutiny from Ecuador fans and reporters as La Tri failed to carry over a 19-match unbeaten run into the tournament. “I think there’s something they don’t like about me,” the Argentinian acknowledged before this game.

Whether beating an uninspired Germany side restores their faith in the head coach, and saves his job, remains to be seen. In any case, La Tri have salvaged their World Cup campaign.