Ivory Coast 1-0 Ecuador: Amad Diallo striking late to break South American hearts
Manchester United winger Amad Diallo came off the bench to score a dramatic 90th-minute winner, ending Ecuador’s 19-match unbeaten run in a pulsating Group E opener.
In a classic tournament encounter that looked destined to end goalless despite an incredible 27 shots combined, the Manchester United winger proved to be the difference-maker. Latching onto a powerful, driving run and perfectly weighted pass from full-back Wilfried Singo, Diallo composed himself just inside the penalty area to curl an exquisite left-footed finish beyond the diving Hernán Galíndez. The late drama sparked unbridled joy on the African bench and shattered Ecuador’s remarkable 19-match unbeaten run stretching back to September 2024.
Before Diallo’s late intervention, the narrative of the match had been written by the woodwork at Lincoln Financial Field, which was transformed into a sea of yellow by a raucous, virtual-home crowd for La Tri. Sebastian Beccacece’s South Americans started with immense intensity, rattling the frame of the goal twice within the opening half-hour. John Yeboah came closest first, pouncing on a defensive error to crack a thunderous effort against the crossbar, before Alan Minda repeated the agonizing feat after being slipped through by an incisive Pedro Vite pass.
Emerse Faé’s African champions gradually found their footing through the exceptional wing play of 19-year-old Yan Diomande. The Leipzig starlet tormented the Ecuadorian flanks and nearly created the opener early in the second half when his pinpoint cross found Elye Wahi, only for the forward’s flicked effort to hit the crossbar to complete a hat-trick of near-misses for both sides.
Ecuador pushed hard in the closing stages, with Gonzalo Plata forcing Yahia Fofana into a magnificent fingertip save from 25 yards out. Yet, it was the patience and defensive solidity of Les Éléphants—who kept ten clean sheets in qualifying—that laid the foundation for Diallo’s stunning counter-attacking sucker punch, putting Ivory Coast level with Germany
