Manchester United winger Amad Diallo scored in the 89th minute to give Côte d’Ivoire a priceless 1-0 win over Ecuador in their FIFA World Cup 2026 opener in Philadelphia on Sunday, www.aclsports.com reports.
Diallo was sent on by Côte d’Ivoire coach Emerse Faé shortly before the hour mark and the 23-year old produced a virtuoso performance which included the late winner to give The Elephants the win.
The Ivorians rode their luck in a largely incoherent first half and they will be grateful to the frame of the goal post for keeping out a couple of attempts from Ecuador in a largely tepid opening half an hour.
The 2024 AFCON winners however came out smoking in the second half and created chances of their own, with the crossbar also denying Elye Wahi after he connected a Seko Fofana cross.
Faé, impressed by his new injections in the second half took it a notch higher by sending on youngster Inao Oulai and Ibrahim Sangare and this made the Elephants even stronger.
The decisive substitution however came in the 88th minute when right back Guelá Doué was substituted for Odilon Kossounou as a precaution against a possible sending off; centre back Wilfried Singo moved to right back.
Barely sixty seconds later, Singo made an immaculate run on the right flank and the Galatasaray man squared low into the box from where Diallo finished one-time beyond Ecuador goalkeeper Hernán Galindez for the winner for Côte d’Ivoire.
The win marks the first time ever that Côte d’Ivoire would beat a South American side at the senior FIFA World Cup level after three previous defeats.
The Ivorians will next face Group E favourites, Germany in Toronto on June 20. Both sides have three points apiece from their opening games.
