Ecuador advances to World Cup knockout rounds, beats Germany 2-1 on Plata’s 77th-minute goal

East Rutherford, N.J. (AP) - Gonzalo Plata poked the ball past Manuel Neuer in the 77th minute, and Ecuador advanced to the knockout stage of the World Cup by rallying for a 2-1 win over Germany on Thursday.Germany, which clinched first place in Group E with victories in its first two games, went ahead on Leroy Sané's second-minute goal. Nilson Angulo scored Ecuador's first goal of the tournament in the ninth minute.Plata scored after a corner kick was nodded on by Kevin Rodríguez. Neuer, the 40-year-old Germany goalkeeper who came out of international retirement for the World Cup, was about the grasp the ball when Plata raised his left foot and with a toe put the ball into the net.Ecuador finished third in the group with four points and advanced past the group stage for the second time, the first since a round of 16 game in 2002.