Ecuador pulled off one of the tournament's greatest shocks on Thursday. They beat Germany 2-1 at MetLife Stadium to book a Round of 32 spot.
Gonzalo Plata struck the decisive blow 13 minutes from the end. His goal came after Nilson Angulo had equalized Leroy Sane's controversial second-minute lead for the Germans.
Ecuador finished on four points despite being third in Group E. That total proved enough to secure one of eight available berths for best third-placed teams.
Germany topped the group but suffered a dent to their tournament momentum. Questions now swirl around their form heading into knockout football.
Ivory Coast also advanced from the group on Thursday evening. Nicolas Pepe netted twice in their 2-0 demolition of Curacao in Philadelphia.
Victory secured second place for the Elephants in Group E. It marked their first-ever progression to a World Cup knockout stage.
Curacao, the smallest nation by population to ever play in a World Cup, exited the competition. They finished with just one point from their campaign.
Six matches unfolded across Thursday as the knockout bracket took shape. Group stage action continued at a relentless pace worldwide.
In Los Angeles, the United States faced already-eliminated Turkey. The Americans had already wrapped up top spot in Group D.
Coach Mauricio Pochettino planned to rotate his squad for the fixture. He decided to rest Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson, Tyler Adams and Folarin Balogun.
All four players sat just one yellow card away from suspension. The precaution made sense with knockout stages approaching fast.
