World Cup: Japan, Australia and Ivory Coast among last 32 teams, Ecuador and Sweden also advance to next stage

Japan, Australia, and Ivory Coast qualified for the FIFA World Cup's last 32 stage after their respective group stage final matches on Thursday, while Ecuador and Sweden also advanced to the next stage by being among the best eight third-placed teams.

In a Group E match, Ecuador came from behind to defeat Germany 2-1, thanks to a 77th-minute goal by Gonzalo Plata. Leroy Sane had given Germany an early lead, but Nelson Angolo equalized with a stunning goal, before Plata scored the decisive goal.

Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann said his team lost focus after the initial goal, which cost them the match. Nevertheless, Germany topped Group E with six points, while Ecuador, with four points, finished third and advanced to the knockout stage as one of the best third-placed teams.

In Group D, Australia drew 0-0 with Paraguay to secure a spot in the next stage. Australia finished second in the group, while the United States topped the group. Paraguay also had four points and remained hopeful of being among the best third-placed teams.

In a Group F match played in Dallas, Japan and Sweden drew 1-1 to secure a spot in the last 32. Daizen Maeda scored for Japan, while Anthony Elanga equalized for Sweden in the second half. Japan finished second in the group with five points, and Sweden finished third with four points, but both advanced to the next stage.

In another Group E match, Ivory Coast defeated Curacao 2-0, thanks to two goals by Nicolas Pepe. Pepe scored in the seventh and 64th minutes, helping Ivory Coast finish second in the group with six points and qualify for the World Cup knockout stage for the first time. Curacao finished last with just one point.

In another Group F match, the Netherlands defeated Tunisia 3-1 to top the group. Elias Sakhiri scored an own goal to give the Netherlands the lead, before Brian Brobbey added a second. Tunisia's Hazem Mastour pulled one back, but Jan Paul van Hecke sealed the win for the Netherlands with a third goal.

In a match played in Los Angeles, Turkey came from behind to defeat the United States 3-2. Arda Guler, Baris Alper Yilmaz, and Can Kahveci scored for Turkey, while Austin Trusty and Sebastian Berhalter scored for the United States. However, the result did not affect the Group D standings. The United States topped the group with six points, while Turkey had already been eliminated after losing their first two matches.