Amad Diallo Leads Ivory Coast to Victory Over Ecuador

Ecuador arrived with a record to protect and a rhythm that had carried them unbeaten since September 2024. Moisés Caicedo, anchoring central midfield, set the tone early – snapping into tackles, dictating the tempo, dragging his side up the pitch.

The South Americans quickly looked the sharper side. John Yeboah rattled the crossbar with a fierce effort, a warning shot that underlined Ecuador’s intent. Then came the move that should have broken the deadlock: Caicedo thundered into a trademark challenge high up the pitch, turned defence into instant attack, and Alan Minda found space. His finish, though, lacked the same conviction. Again, the bar came to Ivory Coast’s rescue.

Ecuador kept pushing. They pressed high, hunted in packs, and for long stretches controlled the midfield. Yet Ivory Coast never disappeared from the contest. They carried a quiet menace, especially on the break.

That threat sharpened after the interval. Early in the second half, Elye Wahi spun into a shooting lane and crashed a strike against the woodwork, a reminder that Ecuador’s dominance on the ball did not guarantee safety at the back. One misstep, one lapse, and the game could flip.

As the minutes drained away, the match tightened. Legs tired, spaces opened, but composure deserted both forward lines in the final third. A goalless draw began to feel inevitable, the kind of stalemate that leaves both teams frustrated but unscathed.

Then Wilfried Singo changed everything.

Charging down the right flank in the 90th minute, the Ivory Coast right-back powered past his marker and refused the safe option. His surge tore at Ecuador’s defensive shape and, once inside the danger area, he picked out Amad Diallo with precision.

Diallo didn’t need a second invitation. One touch, one guided, first-time finish, rolled neatly into the bottom corner. Clinical. Cold. The kind of moment that decides unbeaten runs and reshapes dressing-room moods.

Ecuador’s 19-game streak snapped in an instant.

For Caicedo and his teammates, the defeat will sting, not only because of the late timing, but because they had carved out the better chances for much of the night. The woodwork, twice struck, will linger in the mind.

There is no time to dwell. Curacao await next weekend, a side coming off a bruising 7-1 loss to Germany earlier on Sunday. For a proud Ecuador team, and for their midfield leader, that fixture now becomes something else entirely: a test of how quickly a long, confident run can be rebuilt from the rubble of a single, ruthless strike.