Ivory Coast vs Ecuador 1-0 — A 90th-Minute Winner

Ivory Coast snatched a 1-0 win over Ecuador thanks to a 90th-minute goal — the expected-goals numbers backed up a narrow home edge, 1.52 to 1.01, converted only in the closing seconds of a tense match.

Amad Diallo, on as a substitute in the 56th minute, decided the match with a single precise finish in the final minute of regulation time — a goal that rewarded the hosts' patience across almost the entire game.

A long wait for the winner — numbers from an even contest

Until the 90th minute, both sides created chances at a roughly even rate: 15 shots for the hosts against 12 for the visitors.

With possession close at 48-52 in Ecuador's favor — numbers that confirm a hard-fought contest right up to the closing stages.

Three yellow cards for the hosts — the cost of a physical battle

Seko Fofana, Franck Kessie, and Guela Doue were all booked in the first half — the foul numbers confirm the intense.

Physical nature of a match in which both sides fought for every ball across all 90 minutes.

A goals-prevented reading of 0.22 for both sides

A small positive goals-prevented figure for both teams suggests the overall result broadly matched what the model expected.

A stat confirming the relatively predictable nature of this match, despite the dramatic finish.

Ecuador held more of the ball but couldn't convert the edge

With possession at 52-48 in their favor, the visitors controlled the ball more often, but the shots-on-target numbers.

Just 1 for Ecuador against 4 for Ivory Coast — show the hosts were considerably sharper in the decisive moments.

Emerse Fae found the answer on the bench

The home coach made a double substitution in the 56th minute, including sending on Amad Diallo.

A decision that paid off completely 34 minutes later, when that exact player delivered the winner in stoppage time.

The win strengthens Ivory Coast's Group E position

Ivory Coast entered the match second in Group E on 6 points with a knockout spot already secured.

While Ecuador sat third on 4 — the home win simply strengthened the hosts' standing ahead of the remaining group fixtures.

Blocked shots were even for most of the match

3 blocked shots for each side — the numbers confirm both back lines actively contested the ball throughout.

Which explains why, across 27 combined shots, the teams combined for just a single goal.

A dramatic finish rewarded patience

For Ivory Coast's coaching staff, a stoppage-time winner is confirmation that the strategy of wearing down the opponent through squad rotation and fresh legs late in the match was the right call.

For a substitute who'd been on the pitch barely half an hour, deciding a World Cup group match is about as good as a Tuesday gets.