PHILADELPHIA — A dramatic late finish at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field has handed Ivory Coast a memorable 1-0 opening win over Ecuador in their first FIFA World Cup appearance in 12 years, with Manchester United winger Amad Diallo netting the decisive goal in the final minute of regulation.
The encounter was a tense, chance-filled affair from kickoff, with both sides crashing the crossbar three times combined before Diallo found the back of the net. The substitute winger, who entered the match in the 56th minute, struck a clinical left-footed finish from just inside the 18-yard box that beat Ecuador goalkeeper Hernán Galíndez, who had dived full-stretch in an attempt to make the save. Wilfried Singo set up the game-winner with a dynamic attacking run down the right flank to create the scoring opportunity.
For Ivory Coast, this result marks a promising start to their fourth World Cup campaign — their first since the 2014 tournament — and puts them in a strong position to push for a spot in the knockout round for the first time in the nation’s World Cup history. For Ecuador, the loss brings a stunning end to a 19-game unbeaten run that dated back more than nine months; their previous defeat came in a 1-0 friendly loss to Brazil in September 2024.
The near-misses began early in the opening half, when Ecuador’s John Yeboah and Nilson Angulo each hit the woodwork in the first 45 minutes. Shortly after halftime, Ivory Coast’s Elye Wahi also struck the crossbar, keeping the match deadlocked heading into the final stretch.
Ecuador entered the match as de facto favorites with a home-field advantage in Philadelphia, as a capacity crowd of 68,274 packed Lincoln Financial Field, with the vast majority of fans clad in the yellow kits of La Tri, who were making their fifth World Cup appearance and looking to advance to the knockout stage for just the second time in their history.
Ecuador controlled much of the run of play before Diallo’s late strike, their best opening coming in the 68th minute when Gonzalo Plata unleashed a powerful 25-yard effort that was pushed away by Ivory Coast goalkeeper Yahia Fofana to keep the scoreline level.
Ivory Coast’s attack was consistently dangerous thanks to the impact of RB Leipzig forward Yan Diomande, who created multiple clear scoring chances with his work down the right flank. One of those opportunities created Wahi’s second-half near-miss: Diomande whipped a hard cross into the box that Wahi flicked toward goal, only to see it bounce off the crossbar.
The match was physical from the opening moments, with Ivory Coast captain Franck Kessié setting the tone with a hard challenge just four minutes in. Kessié picked up one of three first-half yellow cards for Les Éléphant, all for reckless tackles, while Ecuador’s Jackson Porozo received a caution in the 73rd minute.
Looking ahead to the next round of group stage matches in Group E, Ivory Coast will face off against four-time World Cup champion Germany, who opened their campaign with a dominant 7-1 win over Curacao earlier on Sunday. Ecuador will take on Curacao, with both matches scheduled to kick off on June 20.