The Ivory Coast national team snatched a fatal victory over Ecuador with a score of 1-0, in an exciting and open confrontation at Lincoln Field in Philadelphia at the end of the first round of Group E competitions in the 2026 World Cup. The match was decided in the last moments with a fatal goal, which gave the “Elephants” three valuable points and ignited the competition in the fifth group. The first half witnessed a relative advantage for the Ecuadorian national team in terms of possession and creating opportunities, before the confrontation turned into a rapid offensive debate between the two sides, with a continuous exchange of attacks and dangerous opportunities for the two goals. The match contradicted the cautious nature that dominated a number of the tournament's matches, as it was offensive and open from the beginning, ranking among the most exciting matches of the 2026 World Cup so far. While the match was heading towards a goalless draw, substitute Amad Diallo succeeded in exploiting a perfect cross pass into the penalty area in the 90th minute, depositing the ball into the net and giving his country a fatal victory, amid overwhelming joy from the Ivorian fans.