FIFA World Cup 2026 — Group E, Matchday 1 | June 14 | Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA — For 89 minutes, Ecuador’s 19-game unbeaten run looked set to survive. Then Wilfried Singo decided to run.
The AS Monaco defender, shifted to right-back following a late substitution, picked up the ball in his own half in the 90th minute and began one of the most remarkable solo runs of this World Cup. He surged past the halfway line, burst beyond one Ecuadorian, then another, and reached the byline before cutting the ball back. Amad Diallo, the Manchester United winger, met it with a calm side-footed finish into the bottom corner.
1-0. Lincoln Financial Field — a sea of Ecuadorian yellow all night — fell silent. The Elephants had snatched victory from the jaws of a stalemate.
A Hostile Environment
Due to a US travel ban affecting several competing nations, Ivorian fans were virtually absent from the 70,000-capacity stadium. An estimated 30,000 Ecuadorians turned the Philadelphia venue into a de facto home fixture for La Tri. The noise was relentless.
But football, as it so often does, ignored the script.
A Game of Inches
The first half was a breathless affair. Ecuador struck the crossbar through John Yeboah after capitalising on a defensive error. Enner Valencia had a goal disallowed for the ball going out of play before the cross. At the other end, Bazoumana Toure forced a fingertip save from Hernan Galindez, and Nicolas Pepe saw a certain goal blocked by Alan Franco’s last-ditch sliding tackle.
After the break, the woodwork continued to deny both sides. Elye Wahi headed against the crossbar for Ivory Coast. Gonzalo Plata tested Yahia Fofana from distance. Yan Diomande, the game’s most dynamic attacker, dribbled past two defenders only to fire over.
A draw seemed inevitable — and, given the group’s composition with Germany and Curacao, not a disastrous result for either side.
The 90th Minute
Then came the tactical switch that changed everything. Odilon Kossounou was introduced, pushing Singo to right-back. The 25-year-old, who had spent the match excelling at centre-back, suddenly found himself with space to attack.
When the ball came to him in the 90th minute, he did not hesitate. The run covered half the length of the pitch. The cross was precise. The finish was clinical.
Ecuador’s 19-game unbeaten streak — a run that had spanned nearly two years and included victories over South American heavyweights — was over. In the most brutal fashion imaginable.
Group E Standings
Germany lead Group E with a +6 goal difference after their 7-1 demolition of Curacao. Ivory Coast sit second with three points. Ecuador, despite the heartbreak, remain very much alive — a fixture against Curacao offers a clear path to three points.
In Philadelphia, the Elephants proved that at a World Cup, it only takes one moment. And sometimes, that moment comes from an unlikely source — a centre-back turned right-back, with the lungs of a marathon runner and the heart of a champion.