Ecuadorans celebrate in Quito after their soccer team qualified for the round of 16 at the World Cup Germany 2006.[Reuters]

Ecuadorians ran into the streets as soon as Beninese referee Coffi Codjia blew the final whistle, turning capital city Quito's legendary Los Shyris Avenue into a sea of fans dressed in team shirts, waving Ecuador's three-color flag, chanting football songs and dancing.

In the port of Guayaquil, the country's second city some 400 km southeast of Quito, the streets of Puerto Principal became the meeting place for celebrations, where fans chanted "Que venga Alemania" (Bring on Germany).

Partying was particularly strong in Esmeraldas, a largely African-Ecuadorian city some 250 km north east of Quito, birthplace of midfielder Ivan Hurtado.

Hurtado's father appeared on television from Esmeraldas cheering that the national team had given Ecuadorians a day of "unforgettable happiness".

Ecuador is in Group A with Poland, Costa Rica and Germany. It has already beaten the first two teams.

Major streets, deserted at 8.00 a.m. local time when the match started, saw improved caravans of private cars where fans cheered "Ecuador, Ecuador" and or the classic phrase "Si se pudo, si se pudo" (Yes it was possible).

Throughout the game, passers-by could hear workers shout from offices where, even though it was a working day, everyone watched the match. Laborers, who do not have televisions at work, gathered outside restaurants and watched the game through the window.

The president's Minister of Communication told press that president Alfredo Palacios had also watched the match alongside his closest colleagues, cheering the team's goals.