Ecuador’s coach answers doubts with a defining win
As soon as referee Mary Victoria Penso ended the match in New Jersey, Sebastian Beccacece climbed over the stadium barriers and went straight to his family. The Ecuador head coach hugged his loved ones after a night that changed the mood around his team.
Germany had been beaten 2-1. Ecuador were through to the knockout stage. For Beccacece, the moment carried extra weight because this match could easily have become his farewell.
Before the game, the Argentine coach admitted that failure to qualify from the group could force him to step aside. Reports had also claimed that members of his family were involved in a heated exchange with supporters after Ecuador’s 0-0 draw with Curacao.
Beccacece had said that he loved the job, but understood that results decide everything. For long spells against Germany, it seemed as if both Ecuador and their manager were close to the end of the road.
The final whistle told a very different story. Ecuador had beaten the four-time world champions and reached the World Cup knockouts for only the second time in their history.
Former England captain Alan Shearer said on BBC One that Beccacece would almost certainly have lost his position if Ecuador had failed to win. Instead, the coach received the response he needed from a team that fought for every ball and found a way through a dangerous opponent.
A difficult road from deduction to South American strength
Ecuador’s path to this World Cup had already carried plenty of pressure. Their qualifying campaign began with a three-point penalty linked to the case of Byron Castillo, the Colombia-born player whose eligibility had been challenged by Chile before the previous World Cup.
They started the 2026 qualifiers under Felix Sanchez, who won three of his first six matches. His spell ended in July 2024, shortly after Ecuador lost a Copa America quarter-final to Argentina on penalties.
South American football expert Tim Vickery noted that Sanchez was dismissed in the dressing room after that defeat and said Ecuador have a reputation for treating coaches harshly.
Beccacece’s own start was not easy either. His first match brought a 1-0 defeat to Brazil, but Ecuador then went unbeaten across their next 11 games and finished second in South American qualifying, behind only Brazil.
That run raised expectations before the tournament. Ecuador arrived with a 19-match unbeaten streak, but the group stage began badly.
A late 1-0 loss to Ivory Coast was followed by a goalless draw against Curacao, a result that deeply frustrated supporters. Beccacece later admitted he had not connected with part of the Ecuadorian fanbase and accepted that some fans simply did not warm to him.
From Sampaoli assistant to Ecuador’s main figure
Beccacece did not have a major playing career, but he built his coaching name as an assistant to Jorge Sampaoli. He was part of Chile’s strong period, helping the team reach the 2014 World Cup and win its first Copa America title in 2015.
He also worked with Sampaoli at the 2018 World Cup with Argentina and later managed Elche in Spain before taking charge of Ecuador.
Now, at 45, he may have delivered the biggest result of his coaching career. After the victory over Germany, he kept a measured tone, saying Ecuador should not feel trapped in despair or carried away by euphoria. His message was that the team must stay grounded.
Ecuador look ready for a deeper World Cup run
Ecuador are playing at their fifth World Cup, having first qualified in 2002. Before this tournament, their only previous trip beyond the group stage came in 2006, when Ivan Hurtado captained the side into the last 16. That run ended with a 1-0 defeat to England, decided by a David Beckham free-kick.
Two decades later, another possible meeting with England could await. This time, Ecuador appear better prepared.
Beccacece can rely on high-level players across the pitch. Willian Pacho of Paris St-Germain and Piero Hincapie of Arsenal give the defence serious quality. Moises Caicedo offers control and bite in midfield, while Enner Valencia, now 36, remains a major figure in attack with six career World Cup goals.
The coach said he wants people to fall in love with this group of players and then see how far they can go. Vickery went even further, calling the win over Germany perhaps the greatest moment in Ecuador’s national team history.
He recalled being in Quito when Ecuador first qualified for a World Cup and said the celebrations now would be even bigger. In his view, Ecuador have dragged themselves out of trouble the hard way and now have a real chance to produce their best World Cup campaign.
For Beccacece, a night that began with his job under threat ended with history, relief and belief.
