Getty

Ecuador's forward #20 Nilson Angulo celebrates with teammate midfielder #09 John Yeboah scoring his team's first goal during the 2026 World Cup Group E football match between Ecuador and Germany at the New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on June 25, 2026.

Nilson Angulo ended Ecuador’s scoreless drought at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, blasting a long-range equalizer past Germany in the 9th minute Thursday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., giving La Tri new life in a Group E clash they desperately needed to win.

Ecuador arrived at the final matchday without a single goal in two previous group-stage appearances, a distinction that left them on the brink of elimination before kickoff, with Germany already clinched for the Round of 32 and carrying an 11-match winning streak into the afternoon.

Angulo’s Equalizer Ends Ecuador’sDrought

Germany struck early. Leroy Sané converted in the 2nd minute off a sharp attacking sequence involving David Raum, Aleksandar Pavlović, and Florian Wirtz, according to ESPN. The goal immediately sparked controversy. Multiple observers reported that the buildup featured a high-boot challenge on an Ecuador defender that referee Tori Penso and the VAR system both declined to flag, allowing the score to stand without review.

Ecuador didn’t crumble. Pedro Vite dispossessed Germany’s Felix Nmecha deep in the German half, then located Angulo out wide on the left. What followed was precision from distance, a thunderous right-footed strike that found the bottom right corner, leveling the match and producing Ecuador’s first World Cup goal of the entire tournament, according to World Soccer Talk.

Entering Thursday, ESPN noted that the only South American federation to finish an entire World Cup without scoring had been Bolivia in 1930, the first-ever World Cup, and again in 1950. Ecuador had been edging toward that company after a 0-0 draw against Curaçao and a 1-0 loss to Ivory Coast left the squad without a goal across 180 minutes of group play.

Nilson Angulo’s Rise to Premier League Stardom

Angulo, who turned 23 on June 19, is not a player who arrived at this stage without résumé. Born Nilson David Angulo Ramírez in Quinindé, Ecuador, he came through the youth system before making his senior debut at LDU Quito, logging 35 appearances there before Anderlecht purchased him in June 2022 for a reported $2.2 million, according to Flashscore.

He spent nearly four years developing in Belgium, accumulating 93 appearances for Anderlecht and their reserve squad combined, with 10 goals and eight assists across all competitions, according to OneFootball. His most recent Anderlecht season produced seven goals and eight assists in the Jupiler Pro League, numbers that prompted Sunderland to move quickly on Deadline Day, signing him Feb. 2, 2026, to a four-and-a-half-year deal for a reported $15.2 million, according to Sunderland AFC’s official website.

At Sunderland he inherited the No. 10 shirt. His Ecuador debut came in October 2021 in a 3-2 friendly win over Mexico. He was included in head coach Sebastián Beccacece’s 26-man World Cup squad on May 31, 2026, and had appeared as a substitute in both previous Group E fixtures before Thursday’s start.

Ecuador still needed additional goals and favorable results elsewhere to secure advancement. The knockout picture remained unresolved, with the pressure of a must-win scenario pressing on every minute. But Angulo’s strike reframed the situation entirely. A team that had spent two weeks unable to put the ball in any net had finally found one against four-time World Cup winner Germany, on the sport’s largest stage, with everything still on the line.