PHILADELPHIA: Substitute Amad Diallo struck in the 90th minute to give Ivory Coast a deserved 1-0 win over Ecuador in both teams’ Group E opener on Saturday night.
Diallo’s first-time strike of Wilfried Singo’s cross gave the Ivorians their first-ever World Cup victory over South American opposition and halted Ecuador’s unbeaten run in all fixtures at 19 matches.
It also put a bow on a 19-year-old Yan Diomande’s dazzling performance as “Les Elephants” pulled even on points with a Germany side that thumped Curacao 7-1 in their opener earlier Sunday.
The promising Ivorians — who have the youngest squad at this World Cup — looked to be running out of ideas before Singo found space surging up the right from his defensive post.
His cross reached Diallo in stride, with the 23-year-old Manchester United charge deftly guiding it into the bottom left corner with the side of his left boot to give the West Africans a dream start to their first World Cup finals appearance since 2014.
