Julian Nagelsmann dismisses 'nonsense' claim after Germany loss to Ecuador at 2026 World Cup - but Deniz Undav and Joshua Kimmich disagree

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Julian Nagelsmann disagreed with a "nonsense" suggestion following Germany's defeat to Ecuador on Thursday, with the four-time champions letting an early lead slip on the final matchday of Group E at World Cup 2026.

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Germany took just 109 seconds in New Jersey to open the scoring through Leroy Sane, but Nilson Angulo equalised within seven minutes.

Gonzalo Plata then won it for Ecuador in the second half, securing a victory that sends the South American nation through as one of the competition's best third-placed teams.

The match was of little consequence to Germany, having already wrapped up top spot in the group with victories over Curacao and Cote d'Ivoire.

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However, it does continue a concerning trend since their 2014 World Cup triumph in Brazil, with the last three tournaments seeing as many losses as wins (four apiece).

Deniz Undav - the hero of the Matchday Two victory over Cote d'Ivoire, having scored twice to turn around a 1-0 deficit - picked out Germany's lack of desire as the reason for the loss to Ecuador.

Undav told Magenta TV: "I had the feeling that they wanted it more than we did.

"Ecuador were more aggressive, more tenacious. We have to learn from this that we also have to give it our all. They gave 100% in every action, they were involved in every challenge."

His captain, Joshua Kimmich, agreed with that summary: "The difference was today that the opponent wanted to win more than us. This is why they won today - really deserved."

However, manager Nagelsmann firmly shut down those thoughts when it was posed to him that Ecuador had more desire to win.

"No, please stop with this nonsense, honestly," he said.

The former Bayern Munich boss added in his press conference: "We got off to a great start. Unfortunately, right after scoring, we started committing tactical suicide with our positioning.

"Ecuador had everything to play for, and you could tell - they had their foot on the gas. But I also can't say that any of my players didn't give it their all. That's too simplistic."

Germany will play their round-of-32 clash on Monday, June 29, in Boston. Their opponent - a third-placed team from Group A, B, C, D or F - is yet to be determined.

Nagelsmann is in his second major tournament as Germany manager, with his previous attempt coming at Euro 2024.

On home soil that summer, he oversaw a win over Denmark in the first knockout round, before a quarter-final loss to eventual champions Spain, deep into extra-time.

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