Germany, already guaranteed top spot in Group E, was beaten 2-1 in its final group outing as Ecuador came from behind to snatch all three points at New York New Jersey Stadium.

Nagelsmann's side saw its 11-match winning streak brought to an end, and while not impressed by his players' performance, he was quick to reject claims it was due to a lack of commitment.

"Please stop the nonsense, honestly," Nagelsmann said. "Didn't the boys want to go full throttle?

"Of course, we made different changes than we might have done in moments when we urgently needed another goal.

"But we can't tell any player that he didn't step on the gas, that's far too striking for me.

"We have to learn that after a good start and an early lead, we can play with more composure, instead of suddenly switching positions too much. We just need to be more patient and stay a bit more structured in our positions.

"We deliberately made a lot of changes. You could see that we also had a few tired legs. You can't blame anyone for the fact that everything is a little slower and takes longer. We trust every player in the squad, and have to give the players the chance to show that."

Coincidentally, it was in New York that Germany crashed out of the 1994 FIFA World Cup after surrendering a lead, losing 2-1 in the quarter-finals against Bulgaria at Giants Stadium.

Joshua Kimmich, who won his 113th cap to move to joint-eighth with Philipp Lahm on his nation's all-time list, conceded the four-time world champion was a deserved loser against Ecuador.

 "We started well, but then we gave the ball away too cheaply and kept inviting them on," he added.

"We made it easy for them and let them grow into the game. In the second half, the defeat was deserved."