Ivory Coast edge a lively opener in Philadelphia
Amad Diallo scored in the final minute to give Ivory Coast a 1-0 win over Ecuador in an entertaining opening World Cup match in Philadelphia.
Both sides had chances in a game full of close calls. Ecuador hit the woodwork three times, while Ivory Coast also struck the bar before the Manchester United forward came off the bench and found the bottom corner in the 90th minute.
Ecuador threaten early but fail to convert
Ecuador created the clearer openings in the first half. Enner Valencia fired over after Emmanuel Agbadou’s mistake gave him space inside the box.
John Yeboah went even closer with a shot against the bar from the edge of the area, while Alan Minda also struck the woodwork after Pedro Vite played him through.
Diomande impresses as Ivory Coast grow stronger
Yan Diomande, the 19-year-old winger linked with Liverpool, caused problems down Ivory Coast’s right side. His pace and direct runs stood out, but his team could not turn those moments into a goal before the break.
Nicolas Pepe waited too long on one chance and later saw another effort hit teammate Elye Wahi.
Valencia clipped the outside of the post early in the second half after a smart exchange with Gonzalo Plata, but Ivory Coast began to look more dangerous after that.
Diomande twice shot over after getting into the box, and his cross was turned onto the crossbar by Wahi.
Amad delivers the decisive moment
Ecuador still had chances, with Plata testing Yahia Fofana from distance and Joel Ordonez heading over from a free kick. But Ivory Coast finally found the breakthrough when Wilfried Singo drove forward and crossed for Amad, who guided the ball inside the post from the edge of the area.
After the match, Amad said Ivory Coast had to stay focused against a physically strong Ecuador side.
“We came here to make history. We still have two more matches ahead of us, and we need to approach them with the same mentality and try to win them,” he said.
Ecuador coach Sebastian Beccacece praised his players’ effort but admitted the result was not what his team wanted.
