Cote d’Ivoire defeat Ecuador to seal Africa’s first win at 2026 World Cup

A last minute strike from Amad Diallo sealed Cote d’Ivoire defeat of 1-0 to Ecuador  in their first match of Group E.

The Elephants waited till almost the last kick of the match at the Philadelphia stadium to become the first African team to grab three points at the 2026 World Cup.

Diallo was a second-half substitute, but he had the final say in a tie that ended Ecuador’s 19-game unbeaten streak — a run that lasted for almost two years.

In the other Group E game, Germany whitewashed debutants Caracao 7-1.

Braces from Nico Schlotterbeck and Kai Havertz, plus one goal each from Felix Nmecha, Jamal Musiala, Nathaniel Brown and Deniz Undav, completed the onslaught against the Caribbean nation.

However, Caracao were not without an exciting moment of their own, with Livano Comenencia scoring the first World Cup goal for the smallest country to ever participate in the competition.

In Group F, another routing took place as Sweden thrashed Tunisia 5-1 in Mexico.

Japan had earlier left it late to earn a vital 2-2 draw against the Netherlands in one of the most dramatic matches of the competition so far.

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