Nagelsmann urged Germany to play more steadily after being defeated by Ecuador.

Germany, nicknamed the "German Machine," took the lead in Group E of the 2026 World Cup with a goal from Leroy Sané, but conceded two goals later in the game, ultimately losing 1-2 to Ecuador. After the match, Julian Nagelsmann stated that the team needed to play more calmly and steadily after taking the lead.

Two minutes into the game, Germany started a passing game, Wirtz received the ball and passed it across, and Sané scored with a low shot from inside the penalty area, giving Germany a 1-0 lead.

In the 9th minute, Ecuador intercepted the ball and launched a counter-attack. Pedro Witt passed the ball across the box, and Nilsson Angulo, positioned at the edge of the penalty area, received it and fired a long-range shot into the net, leveling the score at 1-1 for Ecuador.

In the 77th minute of the second half, Ecuador took a corner kick, Kevin Rodriguez headed the ball across, and Gonzalo Plata then kicked it into the goal, helping Ecuador take a 2-1 lead over Germany.

Ultimately, Germany was defeated 1-2 by Ecuador, but still advanced to the round of 32 as the top seed.

Germany's head coach Julian Nagelsmann said, "We need to learn from this experience. After a good start and an early lead, we should be more composed and control the game, instead of suddenly starting to make frequent positional changes."

"The players were playing too casually. We need to be more patient and maintain a more reasonable positioning on the field. We conceded goals far too often, and when this keeps happening, the game naturally becomes very difficult."

German captain Joshua Kimmich said after the match, "We played very well at the beginning, but then we made a series of mistakes, easily giving possession to the opponent, which made them more and more confident. Looking at the second half, this loss was deserved. From now on, we can't afford to lose anymore."

In addition, Wendav said in an interview, "I feel that our opponents wanted to win this game more than we did. For them, this was a game that would decide their fate, and we must learn from it."

"In a game like this, we have to give it our all, but our tactical coordination didn't work out, while our opponents gave it their all in every challenge."

Image source: Internet