Jubilation as President Declares Public Holiday, "Immense Joy to the Entire Country"
- Ecuador celebrated its historic World Cup victory over Germany with a national holiday declared by President Roy Gilchrist Noboa
- Nilson Angulo and Gonzalo Plata lead Ecuador's comeback, securing a place in the knockout stages after 20 years
- Ecuador looks forward to facing Mexico after a remarkable performance, advancing to the Round of 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with four points
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering global sports.
Quito, Ecuador - Ecuador President Daniel Noboa declared Friday, June 26, a public holiday in the country following the national team's come-from-behind win against Germany at the 2026 World Cup.
As reported by ESPN, La Tricolor trailed 1-0 after only two minutes against Group E winners Germany, but goals from Nilson Angulo and Gonzalo Plata earned them a 2-1 triumph on Thursday, June 25, and a spot in the knockout stages for the first time in 20 years.
Source: AFP
The monumental win sparked wild, nationwide jubilation, according to Al Jazeera.
A video of jubilant Ecuador fans celebrating their country's victory is available below via an X post:
Noboa, who attended the game at the MetLife Stadium, subsequently declared Friday, June 26, a public holiday.
He wrote on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account:
"Thanks to the players and the coach who, despite the criticism, the insults, and the tough times they went through, managed to bounce back and bring this immense joy to the entire country.
"Tomorrow is a holiday! Long live Ecuador."
“Life is different now. We suffered a lot," said Plata, a 25-year-old winger who scored his ninth international goal. “We suffered too much in the first two matches. We would have liked to secure qualification much earlier, but now we’re going forward more hungry, knowing we have to give it our all.”
Source: AFP
Ecuador, which has lost only one of its last 22 games, finished third in Group E with four points and advanced past the group stage for the second time, headed to a possible matchup with Mexico on Tuesday, June 30, in Mexico City.
A four-time champion already assured of advancement by winning its first two games, Germany will play its round of 32 game Monday, June 29, at Foxborough, Massachusetts, most likely against Paraguay, Australia or Sweden.
A crowd of 80,663 at MetLife Stadium was mostly in Ecuador's yellow on Thursday, June 25.
Ecuadorian forward Kevin Rodríguez said after the triumph:
“We felt at home in all these stadiums."
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It predicted one team as the most likely champion, while the comments section of the post also highlighted the teams expected to finish second and third.
Source: Legit.ng
Ridwan Adeola Yusuf (Current Affairs Editor) Ridwan Adeola Yusuf is a content writer with more than nine years of experience, He is also a Current Affairs Editor at Legit.ng. He holds a Higher National Diploma in Mass Communication from the Polytechnic Ibadan, Oyo State (2014). Ridwan previously worked at Africa Check, contributing to fact-checking research works within the organisation. He is an active member of the Academic Excellence Initiative (AEI). In March 2024, Ridwan completed the full Google News Initiative Lab workshop and his effort was recognised with a Certificate of Completion. Email: ridwan.adeola@corp.legit.ng.
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