Diallo and Diomande lead Ivory Coast into Germany showdown

Germany await in the Group E clash

Saturday night, 21:00 BST. Ivory Coast face Germany at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, and three points would seal the round of 32 with a game to spare.

The Elephants opened Group E with that 1–0 win over Ecuador, Amad Diallo's 90th-minute winner ending Ecuador's 19-match unbeaten run. Diallo, 23, became Ivory Coast's youngest ever World Cup goalscorer. Yan Diomande ran the show on his World Cup debut, earning man of the match at 19, with PSG and Liverpool watching.

Emerse Fae's side registered 15 shots to Ecuador's 12 in a performance the Ecuadorian coach could only describe as "unfortunate" for his team. Now Germany. A win tonight and you are through.

Fan reactions

The pre-match thread is buzzing. One Arsenal fan on r/Gunners framed it as a direct duel: Havertz in the German side against Diallo, who has six goals for Ivory Coast since last October (1). The r/soccer crowd is already crunching qualification paths, with Ivory Coast well placed after matchday one (2).