The substitute Amad Diallo struck in the 90th minute to give CĂŽte dâIvoire a 1-0 win over Ecuador in their â Group E opener.
Dialloâs first-time strike of Wilfried Singoâs cross gave the Ivorians their first World Cup victory over South American opposition and â halted Ecuadorâs unbeaten run âat 19 matches.
It also put a bow on a 19-year-old Yan Diomandeâs dazzling performance as the Elephants pulled level on points with a Germany side â that thumped Curacao 7-1 in their opener earlier in the day.
The promising Ivorians â who have the youngest squad at this World Cup â looked to be running out of ideas â before Singo found space surging up the right from his defensive post. His cross reached Diallo in stride, âwith the 23-year-old Manchester United player deftly guiding âit into the bottom left âcorner to give the West Africans a dream start âto their first World Cup finals appearance since 2014.
Ecuadorâs best first-half chances came from CĂŽte dâIvoireâs casual defending. John Yeboah and Alan Minda struck the bar in the 23rd and 30th minutes, respectively.
But it was CĂŽte dâIvoire who looked better in possession, with Diomande terrorizing Ecuadorâs left side. In the 35th minute, he picked up the ball at midfield, beat Piero HincapiĂ© down the line âand dragged a cross into the path of Nicolas PĂ©pĂ©âs late run to the penalty spot. PĂ©pĂ© tried to sneak a second touch to get on âhis favoured left foot, seeing his effort ultimately blocked.
In first-half stoppage time, Singo nearly turned a spectacular bicycle kick on frame from GuĂ©la DouĂ©âs cross.
CĂŽte dâIvoire started well after the break, but in the 68th minute, a well-struck effort from Ecuadorâs Gonzalo Plata forced Yahia Fofana into a comfortable save.
Before that, it â was more of Diomande. In the 52nd minute, his cross met Elye Wahiâs âangling run, but Wahiâs first-time âstrike skimmed the crossbar. And moments after âswitching to the left flank following two CĂŽte dâIvoire changes in the 56th âminute, he dribbled between Yeboah, âAlan Franco and âMoises Caicedo on his âway into the box before firing high.
In a match played within driving distance of more than 600,000 Ecuadorian Americans estimated to live in New York and New Jersey, La Tricolor fans dominated the atmosphere but left disappointed.
Dialloâs first-time strike of Wilfried Singoâs cross gave the Ivorians their first World Cup victory over South American opposition and â halted Ecuadorâs unbeaten run âat 19 matches.
It also put a bow on a 19-year-old Yan Diomandeâs dazzling performance as the Elephants pulled level on points with a Germany side â that thumped Curacao 7-1 in their opener earlier in the day.
The promising Ivorians â who have the youngest squad at this World Cup â looked to be running out of ideas â before Singo found space surging up the right from his defensive post. His cross reached Diallo in stride, âwith the 23-year-old Manchester United player deftly guiding âit into the bottom left âcorner to give the West Africans a dream start âto their first World Cup finals appearance since 2014.
Ecuadorâs best first-half chances came from CĂŽte dâIvoireâs casual defending. John Yeboah and Alan Minda struck the bar in the 23rd and 30th minutes, respectively.
But it was CĂŽte dâIvoire who looked better in possession, with Diomande terrorizing Ecuadorâs left side. In the 35th minute, he picked up the ball at midfield, beat Piero HincapiĂ© down the line âand dragged a cross into the path of Nicolas PĂ©pĂ©âs late run to the penalty spot. PĂ©pĂ© tried to sneak a second touch to get on âhis favoured left foot, seeing his effort ultimately blocked.
In first-half stoppage time, Singo nearly turned a spectacular bicycle kick on frame from GuĂ©la DouĂ©âs cross.
CĂŽte dâIvoire started well after the break, but in the 68th minute, a well-struck effort from Ecuadorâs Gonzalo Plata forced Yahia Fofana into a comfortable save.
Before that, it â was more of Diomande. In the 52nd minute, his cross met Elye Wahiâs âangling run, but Wahiâs first-time âstrike skimmed the crossbar. And moments after âswitching to the left flank following two CĂŽte dâIvoire changes in the 56th âminute, he dribbled between Yeboah, âAlan Franco and âMoises Caicedo on his âway into the box before firing high.
In a match played within driving distance of more than 600,000 Ecuadorian Americans estimated to live in New York and New Jersey, La Tricolor fans dominated the atmosphere but left disappointed.
