Ecuador stunned by Diallo late strike, Curaçao now a must-win

Amad Diallo breaks your hearts at the death

Ecuador 0–1 Ivory Coast in your World Cup opener. Amad Diallo struck in the 90th minute. A 19-match unbeaten run, over (1) (6) (7).

Sebastian Beccacece did not hide what he felt. "It hurts because it was an unfair defeat," he said afterwards (1).

Painful. And now the mountain gets steeper.

A new rule, and Ecuador paid the price

A time-penalty regulation was applied for the first time in this tournament. Ecuador's midfield star was the player caught by it (2).

The details spread fast across German outlets. The call changed the rhythm of the closing stages, and Ivory Coast had the final word.

Curaçao next, nothing less than a win will do

Sunday, June 21. That is the date. Ecuador face Curaçao in the second Group E match, and the math is simple, lose and you are out (3).

The squad must shake this off fast. A response is non-negotiable.

Diomande picks the wrong night to shine

Yan Diomande ran the game for Ivory Coast on his World Cup debut. The performance has clubs circling. One Dutch outlet said a €100m fee might not even be enough (4) (5) (9).

Liverpool are watching. Marca put the number at €130m (9). The kid from Leganés chose this match to arrive.

Ivory Coast already looking past you

The Ivorian camp did not wait long. After beating Ecuador, they fired a warning straight at Germany ahead of their next match (8).

Your team has been dismissed as the first hurdle cleared. That should sting.

Fan-reaktioner

Amad Diallo's goal from every angle, spider cam, ref cam, the works, hit the Manchester United subreddit fast. The clip is everywhere. Ecuador fans are not the only ones watching that late strike on repeat. See the thread.