Super-sub Amad Diallo was the hero for Côte d’Ivoire, striking in the 90th minute to secure a dramatic 1-0 victory over Ecuador in their Group E opener.
Diallo met Wilfried Singo’s cross with a brilliant first-time finish, securing the Ivorians’ first-ever World Cup win against South American opposition and snapping Ecuador’s remarkable 19-match unbeaten streak.
The late winner perfectly capped off a dazzling performance by 19-year-old Yan Diomande, lifting the Elephants level on points at the top of the group with heavyweights Germany.
Earlier in the day, Germany kicked off their World Cup campaign in emphatic fashion with a 7-1 demolition of tournament debutants Curacao.
Felix Nmecha gave the four-time world champions an early lead, but the Caribbean side briefly threatened an upset when Livano Comenencia’s deflected effort leveled the score, sparking wild celebrations.
However, the German machine quickly reasserted its dominance. Nico Schlotterbeck, Jamal Musiala, Nathaniel Brown, Deniz Undav, and Kai Havertz—who bagged a brace—all found the net to secure Germany’s first opening-match World Cup win since 2014, significantly boosting their knockout stage prospects.
Meanwhile, football purists were treated to an absolute classic as the Netherlands and Japan battled to a thrilling 2-2 draw, widely dubbed the game of the tournament so far.
After a tense first half, all hell broke loose early in the second period when both sides traded three goals in a chaotic 13-minute window.
The Dutch managed to hold a slim 2-1 lead for most of the half, but Japan refused to back down. In the 88th minute, Daichi Kamada delivered a stunning equalizer to rescue a well-deserved point for the Samurai Blue in dramatic fashion.
In the final match of the day, Sweden put on a masterclass in Monterrey, thumping North African contenders Tunisia 5-1 to go top of Group F.
Tunisian-born Yasin Ayari opened the floodgates for Sweden in the seventh minute following a defensive lapse, and Alexander Isak doubled the cushion with a powerful run and finish on the half-hour mark.
Tunisia offered a brief glimmer of hope just before halftime when defender Omar Rekik headed home from a Hannibal Mejbri cross to make it 2-1.
However, Graham Potter’s Swedish side ruthlessly pulled away in the second half. Viktor Gyökeres restored the two-goal cushion on the hour mark before substitute Mattias Svanberg made World Cup history, scoring just 12 seconds after coming off the bench.
Ayari then rubbed salt in the wounds, smashing home his second long-distance rocket of the match to put the final gloss on a five-star Swedish performance.
