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German midfielder Leroy Sane scored the second-fastest (in terms of time) goal for his country in the FIFA World Cup history, netting in the 1.49th minute against Ecuador in their final Group E match of the 2026 World Cup, on Thursday, June 25 (local time), as per OptaJoe’s X handle.
Leroy Sane’s goal against Ecuador after just 1 minute and 49 seconds trails only Ernst Lehner’s strike against Austria in 1934, which came in the opening minute.
Coming to Sane’s goal, Germany made a flying start, scoring with their first shot on target to take an early lead, with Sane finishing off a pass from Florian Wirtz. Positioned centrally inside the box, Sane calmly slotted the ball past diving Ecuador goalkeeper Hernan Galindez, placing his effort into the bottom-left corner after meeting the delivery from the left.
Ecuador immediately appealed for a foul in the build-up, arguing that Germany’s Aleksandar Pavlovic had raised a high boot on Pedro Vite, with replays indicating contact with the Ecuadorian midfielder’s head before Sane converted the pass from Wirtz.
However, following a VAR review, the referee’s original decision was upheld and the goal stood. The episode ensured a controversial start to the match in New Jersey.
In the match, Ecuador took little time to respond to Germany’s early lead as Nilson Angulo equalised in the ninth minute. The forward picked up the ball from distance and unleashed a low effort through a defender’s legs, leaving Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer with little chance as the ball found the net.
With the score level at 1-1 in the first half, Ecuador shocked Germany in the 77th minute as Gonzalo Plata reacted fastest at a corner, beating Manuel Neuer to the ball and netting home after a near-post flick-on.-ANI