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EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey, June 25 : An increasingly desperate Ecuador stunned Germany 2-1 in their final Group E game on Thursday to drag their World Cup campaign out of the flames and qualify for a place in the last 32.

Needing a win – or a miracle – to keep their hopes alive, the South Americans suffered the worst possible start when already-qualified Germany struck in the second minute, with Leroy Sane opening his account at a major international tournament in his 15th appearance at one.

Ecuador had failed to score in this tournament despite 39 previous attempts, but finally broke their duck with their 40th shot when Nilson Angulo curled the ball beyond Manuel Neuer to spark wild celebrations among the sea of yellow in the stands.

Gonzalo Plata then bundled home the winner with 13 minutes remaining to complete Ecuador’s stirring comeback as their fans erupted with joy at the sold-out New York/New Jersey stadium.

“It was incredible. We had a lot of faith and want our fans to know that there are 26 players here that will give their all for everyone in our country,” Plata told reporters.

“People packed the stadiums wherever we played and made us feel right at home. They deserve this far more than we do. We struggled a lot in the first two matches but now we’re even more determined.

“We’ve learnt that you have to give it your all right up to the last minute, even if the goal doesn’t come early on. Today we struggled right to the end and, thank goodness, it went our way.”

GERMANY’S VULNERABILITY EXPOSED AGAIN

Already assured of qualification as group winners, Germany finished top with six points, ahead of Ivory Coast on goal difference after the African side beat Curacao 2-0. Ecuador have qualified as one of the best eight third-placed teams.

Germany had been chasing a third win from three Group E matches and a 12th successive victory, but their defensive vulnerabilities were exposed again and they have now conceded in all three group matches.

“We keep inviting the opposition in with turnovers, making them look good in the process,” captain Joshua Kimmich told reporters.

“Fortunately, no real harm has been done yet. But it’s clear we can’t afford another defeat. We can’t keep conceding one or two goals every game. We need to minimise our turnover rate; then we can beat anyone.”

Germany started explosively, with Sane finishing left-footed from just inside the area in the second minute after Florian Wirtz cleverly found his teammate after a quick throw-in.

Ecuador protested that Aleksandar Pavlovic had caught Pedro Vite in the head with a raised foot in the build-up, but referee Tori Penso allowed the goal to stand.

Ecuador, who had arrived under pressure after a defeat by Ivory Coast and draw with Curacao, responded swiftly. Angulo curled thee ball into the net from the edge of the box in the ninth minute, with goalkeeper Manuel Neuer slow to react.

The second half began with more controversy when Penso awarded Germany a penalty after Felix Nmecha played in Kai Havertz, who appeared to be tripped by Joel Ordonez.

After a VAR review, however, the referee overturned the decision for a Germany foul in the build-up.

Clear chances were then limited until Plata struck in the 78th minute, reacting quickest after substitute Kevin Rodriguez flicked on a corner at the near post and stabbing the ball past Neuer to send the stadium into uproar.

INGLEWOOD, California, June 25 : Turkey beat a second-string United States side 3-2 with a last-gasp goal from Kaan Ayhan on Thursday for their first victory of the tournament in a dead rubber, with the co-hosts having already won Group D and a place in the knockout round.

The Americans, who made nine changes including leaving out the four players on yellow cards, took an early lead for the third straight match when Auston Trusty scored in the third minute to the joy of a sold-out crowd at Los Angeles Stadium.

Turkey hit back through Arda Guler and Baris Yilmaz for their first goals of the tournament before Sebastian Berhalter drove in a long-range effort shortly after halftime to pull the U.S. level. But substitute Ayhan had the last laugh when he found an empty net at the far post for the winner.

The U.S. now turn their focus to Wednesday’s knockout-round meeting with Bosnia and Herzegovina in Santa Clara, while Turkey head home having at least salvaged some pride.

SUBSTITUTE PULISIC GETS OVATION

Despite there being nothing at stake, the atmosphere was noisy, with U.S. fans riding high on their team’s strong run.

One of the loudest ovations of the night came in the 58th minute, when key forward Christian Pulisic was introduced for his first appearance since being taken off at halftime in the opener against Paraguay with a calf injury.

Pulisic looked sharp and showed plenty of spirit, exchanging words with several Turkey players after a late second-half challenge.

The U.S. had a worrying moment near the final whistle when defender Trusty went down with an apparent hamstring injury and was carried off on a stretcher.

Turkey, who made seven changes to their lineup, exit the tournament with some consolation after responding to the early deficit and repeatedly finding gaps in the U.S. defence.

Late substitute Ayhan’s strike with the final kick of the night stunned the crowd and provided a fitting finish to a match played with attacking intent throughout.

Among those in attendance on a warm Southern California evening were celebrities Leonardo DiCaprio, Paris Hilton, Owen Wilson, Will Ferrell and Brad Pitt.

SANTA CLARA, California, June 25 : Australia booked their place in the World Cup’s round of 32 on Thursday with a cagey 0-0 draw against Paraguay that left the South Americans facing a nervous wait to see if they will advance.

In a physical, scrappy contest at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, Paraguay pushed late after being dominated early but it ended with the Socceroos making the tournament’s knockout phase for a third time, four years after reaching the last 16 in Qatar.

Tony Popovic’s team sealed second place in Group D behind co-hosts the United States and will meet the second-placed team in Group G, which remains wide open before Egypt face Iran and Belgium meet New Zealand on Friday.

Paraguay, on four points, may have done enough to advance as one of the eight best-finishing, third-placed sides but the 2010 quarter-finalists will need to wait for other results in the final group matches in the coming days.

Popovic made six changes to his starting 11 in a bold shake-up, bringing back livewire Nestory Irankunda and adding Cristian Volpato to his forward line in a signal of attacking intent.

With Jordan Bos switching from left back to right to cover for the injured Jacob Italiano, Australia made promising raids down the right but the finishing touch proved stubbornly elusive.

Minutes after kickoff, Volpato set up Jackson Irvine on the right of the penalty area but he thumped an angled shot straight at Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill.

Bos and Volpato drew saves from Gill late in the half without genuinely testing the keeper.

With Paraguay restricted to one shot in the half, coach Gustavo Alfaro injected Mauricio at the break, and the Brazilian-born attacker shot fruitlessly from distance five minutes after the restart.

The Paraguayans grew into the contest with the help of the energetic Julio Enciso, who repeatedly sliced through Australia’s defence.

He blew one of Paraguay’s better chances with a low shot that flashed well wide of the left post eight minutes from time.

In an end-to-end finish, Bos briefly had Socceroos fans rising from their seats in the 89th minute as he split two defenders, charged into the box from the right and sent his shot fizzing by the far post.

Mauricio gave Beach a late test when he found a sliver of room on the edge of the area but his tepid, low shot was easily dealt with and Australia held on to advance with more substance than style. 

Speculating on Matthew Stafford’s football future has become an annual tradition.

That’s not about to change, but Stafford admitted during an appearance on Chris Long’s “Green Light” podcast that he might have been shortchanging himself when considering the shelf life of his NFL journey. All it took was a chat with Pro Football Hall of Famer Drew Brees to open his eyes.

“I think one of the things that surprised me was I was talking to Drew — this was before last season — and he was like ‘how old are you again?’” Stafford recalled. “I was like, ‘I’m 37’ and he was like ‘you might have your best five years of your career coming up.’ And I was like ‘huh,’ never really thought about it that way.

“Drew saying that kind of lit a fire under me and gives you a little bit of belief that maybe an old guy can still go out there and spin it around a little bit.”

Brees played until his age-41 season. From his age-37 season and on, Brees was voted to four Pro Bowls.

Stafford can certainly still spin it. He’s coming off the first MVP season of his career, a campaign that saw his Rams come painfully short of a return trip to the Super Bowl.

Los Angeles’ loss to Seattle in the NFC Championship Game has inspired an aggressive approach from the Rams front office this offseason, one that saw L.A. rebuild its secondary before swinging a blockbuster deal for two-time Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett.

The message is simple: The Rams are in it to win it all in 2026. But none of that exists without Stafford’s presence.

Los Angeles’ dealings with Stafford haven’t lacked for drama. In the 2025 offseason, he briefly flirted with requesting a trade before thinking better of the move, then securing a new contract with the Rams. After stating he was definitely coming back in 2026 immediately after receiving the NFL MVP at the 15th annual NFL Honors, Stafford had many braced for a similarly prolonged negotiation.

Instead, the Rams handled the matter fairly swiftly, agreeing to a deal that gives Stafford the freedom to choose annually whether he’ll return and includes built-in deadlines for such decisions.

“It is year to year because I think it’s fair to the team, it’s fair to me, my family,” Stafford explained. “I don’t want to sit there and, say, 24 months from now, I’ve got to be ready to play another football season, I’m like ‘whew, that just seems like a lot.’ I know that I’m ready to play this year. And hopefully I feel great at the end of next year and I’m ready to play another one after that, and maybe we just keep going like that. But committing to more than that feels a little bit daunting and I think a little bit unfair to the team and myself. The last thing I want to do is sign some five-year extension and after one year, be like ‘Oh man, I’m ready to retire, I want to spend time with my family,’ and they’re sitting there with four years on the books and had a bunch of planning done that I was going to be around. I don’t want to play football and not be all the way in it, too.

“It’s been great. (Rams general manager) Les (Snead) and his group and (Rams coach) Sean (McVay) and all them have been awesome to me and (Rams owner) Mr. (Stan) Kroenke about letting me kind of go year to year while building in things for the years to come so we don’t have to sit there and negotiate after every offseason. I don’t know how far I want to play. I know I’m excited about playing this year and then we’ll see after that.”

Following the agreement, Los Angeles made sure to protect against a sudden Stafford retirement by spending its first-round pick on Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, who they hope will develop into Stafford’s long-term replacement.

It’s not often a team can seriously contend for a Super Bowl while also crafting a succession plan, but the Rams have positioned themselves to do so. It just might not happen as soon as you’d think.

“I remember when I was getting traded to L.A., just having those initial conversations with Sean, and it was like ‘you know, I don’t know, I think maybe three or four (years) max(imum) left feels right, get in that 15-16 (year) range,’” Stafford said. “Now, it’s like I don’t know, maybe I’ll just keep rolling. My girls love watching me play. Might as well.”

Zack Baun’s career arc is a great example of how change can bring out the best in people.

Baun spent his first four seasons in New Orleans occupying the same edge defender position he’d owned as a collegiate standout at Wisconsin. But when he showed up in Philadelphia in 2024, the Eagles converted him to inside linebacker, placing him on a fast track toward unprecedented success.

Baun’s importance skyrocketed in his first season with the Birds, a year in which he earned first-team All-Pro honors as one of the NFL’s best all-around inside linebackers on a defense that propelled the Eagles to their second Super Bowl triumph in franchise history. He did so with the help of teammate Nakobe Dean, who has since left for a new job with the Las Vegas Raiders.

There it is again: change.

“It hurt to see him leave, but I’m happy to watch him go and I know he’s going to succeed wherever he is,” Baun recently said, via the team’s official site. “I thank him from the bottom of my heart.”

Baun is once again embracing the change, and this time, he’s the mentor. The veteran linebacker helped 2025 first-round pick Jihaad Campbell acclimate to the pro game last season and will now need to count on Campbell as his running mate in the Eagles’ defensive starting lineup.

“Just teaching small things like that I think are really influential to (Campbell) and his growth and development,” Baun said of his efforts to assist Campbell. “You saw growth all throughout the season, so I’m really excited for him this upcoming season.”

There’s plenty of other reasons to be excited, too. Philadelphia added highly effective (and fairly underrated) edge rusher Jonathan Greenard this offseason, as well as cornerback Riq Woolen, who left the Super Bowl LX champion Seattle Seahawks for a fresh start with the Eagles.

Additions like that have equipped veteran defensive coordinator Vic Fangio with the tools to once again unleash his scheme on opposing offenses. The 2026 season will be cranked up a notch, too, according to Baun.

“I feel he’s taking things to the next level this year,” Baun said of Fangio. “Even with his own scheme, he continues to develop and tweak and change.”

The new faces and the youngsters will need to function like sponges in training camp in order to master the tools of the defensive mastermind. If they can do that, Baun believes the sky is the limit — and Baun just might serve as the pilot.

“He’s a hard-nosed, old school football coach,” Baun said. “If you’re willing to learn and listen to what he has to say, it could be really good for you and I think it’s been really good for this defense.”

Under the awards subhead of DeAndre Hopkins’ résumé, you’ll find plenty.

Five-time Pro Bowler. Three-time All-Pro.

But a quick Google search of Hopkins’ name also delivers a sobering dose of reality in 2026. The first generated entry: What happened to DeAndre Hopkins?

Such is the harsh portion of an NFL career’s twilight, one that often comes without warning and is rarely easy to process. Some ride off into the sunset on their own terms, while silence tells others they’re no longer wanted.

Hopkins is caught somewhere in between. He spent the 2025 season playing for the Baltimore Ravens, a partnership that promised great results but ended up fizzling in part because of how little the Ravens used him. Hopkins finished last year with just 22 receptions on 39 targets for 330 yards with two touchdowns.

That shouldn’t diminish what he can offer a team in 2026, at least not in Hopkins’ mind.

“I still got a lot ball left,” Hopkins said during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “But it’s not a situation I’m sitting here trying to force or go out and be the regular-season superstar because that’s for the young guys, man. That’s for the people that they want to develop and give those contracts for the future.

“I know in my position, I’m a utility guy. I’m a special situation kind of guy. I can go out there and beat anybody one on one at any time, but as of lately, I’ve been a third-down guy. I wasn’t used in the red zone last year. But (on) third down, they’re gonna put D-Hop in, they’re gonna come to me. I don’t think that’ll change anytime soon.”

At 34 years old, a player of Hopkins’ caliber usually falls in one of two buckets. They’re either spending their golden years with the only team they’ve ever known, destined for a place in the club’s ring of honor and a key to the city, or they’re clinging on to their love for the game with the hopes of latching on with a team riding Super Bowl aspirations into a new year.

The latter group of veterans don’t sign quickly and are frequently subjected to such lines of questioning. They almost always admit they’d love to chase a ring.

Hopkins is no different.

“Going into year 14, I would love to play for a competitor if that time came,” Hopkins said, “but I’m not in no rush to go out and be a regular-season superstar because for me, I’m not getting a contract extension.”

He’s right. The 2026 season could be his last. Time will tell whether a contender with a need — perhaps one of his former employers, the Kansas City Chiefs, could give him a call — will dial Hopkins. As he made clear Wednesday, Hopkins will be ready to bring the same skills that made him a household name wherever he’s wanted.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Disgruntled receiver Brandon Aiyuk said he would sign immediately with the Washington Commanders if the San Francisco 49ers grant his wish and release him.

Aiyuk is currently on the reserve/left squad list after he stopped showing up late last season as he rehabilitates a knee injury that has sidelined him since October 2024. Aiyuk wants to be released, but the Niners have shown no urgency to make a move even though general manager John Lynch has said he doesn’t expect Aiyuk to play for the team again.

“Tell them boys cut me today and I’ll sign with the Commanders tomorrow,” Aiyuk said on social media Wednesday.

The Commanders haven’t commented on Aiyuk’s status while he remains under contract to San Francisco and haven’t indicated that they would sign him if he becomes available.

Aiyuk signed a four-year, $120 million extension with San Francisco just before the start of the 2024 season following a lengthy contract “hold in” that kept him out of practice that summer.

Aiyuk played seven games and caught 25 passes that season before going down with a season-ending knee injury and the acrimony between the sides only increased. The 49ers voided $27 million guaranteed in Aiyuk’s contract for 2026 last summer because he failed to participate in meetings and other team activities.

Aiyuk then left the team late in the season and has not talked to coach Kyle Shanahan or Lynch since then, communicating only through social media messages, calling the team “stupid” for paying him so much money.

Aiyuk could put pressure on the 49ers to make a decision if he shows up when the 49ers report to training camp on July 25. Until he reports, the 49ers can keep him on the reserve list without him counting to the salary cap or the roster limits.

Aiyuk has three years remaining on the four-year, $120 million extension he signed last year, including a nearly $25 million option bonus due before the start of this season. But he now has no guaranteed money remaining and won’t be owed anything unless he reports to the team.

The 28-year-old Aiyuk has 294 catches for 4,305 yards and 25 TDs since being drafted in the first round in 2020.

Aiyuk recently had an arrest warrant issued by Santa Clara County on a misdemeanor charge of exhibition of speeding in response to a video Aiyuk posted to social media last December that appeared to show him speeding on the road in front of Levi’s Stadium.

Speculating on Matthew Stafford’s football future has become an annual tradition.

That’s not about to change, but Stafford admitted during an appearance on Chris Long’s “Green Light” podcast that he might have been shortchanging himself when considering the shelf life of his NFL journey. All it took was a chat with Pro Football Hall of Famer Drew Brees to open his eyes.

“I think one of the things that surprised me was I was talking to Drew — this was before last season — and he was like ‘how old are you again?’” Stafford recalled. “I was like, ‘I’m 37’ and he was like ‘you might have your best five years of your career coming up.’ And I was like ‘huh,’ never really thought about it that way.

“Drew saying that kind of lit a fire under me and gives you a little bit of belief that maybe an old guy can still go out there and spin it around a little bit.”

Brees played until his age-41 season. From his age-37 season and on, Brees was voted to four Pro Bowls.

Stafford can certainly still spin it. He’s coming off the first MVP season of his career, a campaign that saw his Rams come painfully short of a return trip to the Super Bowl.

Los Angeles’ loss to Seattle in the NFC Championship Game has inspired an aggressive approach from the Rams front office this offseason, one that saw L.A. rebuild its secondary before swinging a blockbuster deal for two-time Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett.

The message is simple: The Rams are in it to win it all in 2026. But none of that exists without Stafford’s presence.

Los Angeles’ dealings with Stafford haven’t lacked for drama. In the 2025 offseason, he briefly flirted with requesting a trade before thinking better of the move, then securing a new contract with the Rams. After stating he was definitely coming back in 2026 immediately after receiving the NFL MVP at the 15th annual NFL Honors, Stafford had many braced for a similarly prolonged negotiation.

Instead, the Rams handled the matter fairly swiftly, agreeing to a deal that gives Stafford the freedom to choose annually whether he’ll return and includes built-in deadlines for such decisions.

“It is year to year because I think it’s fair to the team, it’s fair to me, my family,” Stafford explained. “I don’t want to sit there and, say, 24 months from now, I’ve got to be ready to play another football season, I’m like ‘whew, that just seems like a lot.’ I know that I’m ready to play this year. And hopefully I feel great at the end of next year and I’m ready to play another one after that, and maybe we just keep going like that. But committing to more than that feels a little bit daunting and I think a little bit unfair to the team and myself. The last thing I want to do is sign some five-year extension and after one year, be like ‘Oh man, I’m ready to retire, I want to spend time with my family,’ and they’re sitting there with four years on the books and had a bunch of planning done that I was going to be around. I don’t want to play football and not be all the way in it, too.

“It’s been great. (Rams general manager) Les (Snead) and his group and (Rams coach) Sean (McVay) and all them have been awesome to me and (Rams owner) Mr. (Stan) Kroenke about letting me kind of go year to year while building in things for the years to come so we don’t have to sit there and negotiate after every offseason. I don’t know how far I want to play. I know I’m excited about playing this year and then we’ll see after that.”

Following the agreement, Los Angeles made sure to protect against a sudden Stafford retirement by spending its first-round pick on Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, who they hope will develop into Stafford’s long-term replacement.

It’s not often a team can seriously contend for a Super Bowl while also crafting a succession plan, but the Rams have positioned themselves to do so. It just might not happen as soon as you’d think.

“I remember when I was getting traded to L.A., just having those initial conversations with Sean, and it was like ‘you know, I don’t know, I think maybe three or four (years) max(imum) left feels right, get in that 15-16 (year) range,’” Stafford said. “Now, it’s like I don’t know, maybe I’ll just keep rolling. My girls love watching me play. Might as well.”

Zack Baun’s career arc is a great example of how change can bring out the best in people.

Baun spent his first four seasons in New Orleans occupying the same edge defender position he’d owned as a collegiate standout at Wisconsin. But when he showed up in Philadelphia in 2024, the Eagles converted him to inside linebacker, placing him on a fast track toward unprecedented success.

Baun’s importance skyrocketed in his first season with the Birds, a year in which he earned first-team All-Pro honors as one of the NFL’s best all-around inside linebackers on a defense that propelled the Eagles to their second Super Bowl triumph in franchise history. He did so with the help of teammate Nakobe Dean, who has since left for a new job with the Las Vegas Raiders.

There it is again: change.

“It hurt to see him leave, but I’m happy to watch him go and I know he’s going to succeed wherever he is,” Baun recently said, via the team’s official site. “I thank him from the bottom of my heart.”

Baun is once again embracing the change, and this time, he’s the mentor. The veteran linebacker helped 2025 first-round pick Jihaad Campbell acclimate to the pro game last season and will now need to count on Campbell as his running mate in the Eagles’ defensive starting lineup.

“Just teaching small things like that I think are really influential to (Campbell) and his growth and development,” Baun said of his efforts to assist Campbell. “You saw growth all throughout the season, so I’m really excited for him this upcoming season.”

There’s plenty of other reasons to be excited, too. Philadelphia added highly effective (and fairly underrated) edge rusher Jonathan Greenard this offseason, as well as cornerback Riq Woolen, who left the Super Bowl LX champion Seattle Seahawks for a fresh start with the Eagles.

Additions like that have equipped veteran defensive coordinator Vic Fangio with the tools to once again unleash his scheme on opposing offenses. The 2026 season will be cranked up a notch, too, according to Baun.

“I feel he’s taking things to the next level this year,” Baun said of Fangio. “Even with his own scheme, he continues to develop and tweak and change.”

The new faces and the youngsters will need to function like sponges in training camp in order to master the tools of the defensive mastermind. If they can do that, Baun believes the sky is the limit — and Baun just might serve as the pilot.

“He’s a hard-nosed, old school football coach,” Baun said. “If you’re willing to learn and listen to what he has to say, it could be really good for you and I think it’s been really good for this defense.”

Under the awards subhead of DeAndre Hopkins’ résumé, you’ll find plenty.

Five-time Pro Bowler. Three-time All-Pro.

But a quick Google search of Hopkins’ name also delivers a sobering dose of reality in 2026. The first generated entry: What happened to DeAndre Hopkins?

Such is the harsh portion of an NFL career’s twilight, one that often comes without warning and is rarely easy to process. Some ride off into the sunset on their own terms, while silence tells others they’re no longer wanted.

Hopkins is caught somewhere in between. He spent the 2025 season playing for the Baltimore Ravens, a partnership that promised great results but ended up fizzling in part because of how little the Ravens used him. Hopkins finished last year with just 22 receptions on 39 targets for 330 yards with two touchdowns.

That shouldn’t diminish what he can offer a team in 2026, at least not in Hopkins’ mind.

“I still got a lot ball left,” Hopkins said during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “But it’s not a situation I’m sitting here trying to force or go out and be the regular-season superstar because that’s for the young guys, man. That’s for the people that they want to develop and give those contracts for the future.

“I know in my position, I’m a utility guy. I’m a special situation kind of guy. I can go out there and beat anybody one on one at any time, but as of lately, I’ve been a third-down guy. I wasn’t used in the red zone last year. But (on) third down, they’re gonna put D-Hop in, they’re gonna come to me. I don’t think that’ll change anytime soon.”

At 34 years old, a player of Hopkins’ caliber usually falls in one of two buckets. They’re either spending their golden years with the only team they’ve ever known, destined for a place in the club’s ring of honor and a key to the city, or they’re clinging on to their love for the game with the hopes of latching on with a team riding Super Bowl aspirations into a new year.

The latter group of veterans don’t sign quickly and are frequently subjected to such lines of questioning. They almost always admit they’d love to chase a ring.

Hopkins is no different.

“Going into year 14, I would love to play for a competitor if that time came,” Hopkins said, “but I’m not in no rush to go out and be a regular-season superstar because for me, I’m not getting a contract extension.”

He’s right. The 2026 season could be his last. Time will tell whether a contender with a need — perhaps one of his former employers, the Kansas City Chiefs, could give him a call — will dial Hopkins. As he made clear Wednesday, Hopkins will be ready to bring the same skills that made him a household name wherever he’s wanted.