Ivory Coast beat Ecuador in a thriller; see group standings

The fourth FIFA World Cup match to kick off and wrap up this Sunday (14) was of a HIGH level.

It looked like a scoreless draw was determined to be the main character in Philadelphia, but that was just a “detail” given the quality of football on display.

Then Diallo, from United, finished off Singo’s brilliant play in the 90th minute to seal a 1-0 win for the Elephants over La Tri.

Ivory Coast beat Ecuador in a

There were three shots off the crossbar (two by Ecuador), intensity on both sides, and “end-to-end action” for long stretches. 

The lack of a bit more composure/precision prevented more goals. 

Diomandé ended the match as the standout individual performer. 

It was the African team’s first win against South American opposition after losses to Argentina (2006), Brazil (2010), and Colombia (2014). 

See below for a roundup of the day’s other matches and then check out the updated standings for the groups that have already gotten underway. 

🔥 German rout with a record

Curaçao’s debutants even got on the scoresheet — and there was plenty of celebration in the stands.

But that temporary 1-1 turned into another 7-1 for Germany. 

The thrashing took the four-time world champion to 239 goals in World Cup history.

Surpassing the 238 of then-record holder Brazil. 

👀 Watch out, Brazil!

If they advance to the knockout stage in 1st or 2nd place, Brazil could face the Netherlands or Japan.

Those two delivered a high-level clash, with Japan coming from behind twice to equalize.

They are now unbeaten in nine matches against European national teams — with seven wins.

Meanwhile, the Netherlands reached a run of 13 unbeaten World Cup matches, having gone through the 2014 and 2022 editions without a defeat in regular time.

That matched Brazil’s record, set from the 1958 World Cup until its elimination in 1966.

There was a surprise…

The day began in Brazil with Australia stunning then-favorite Türkiye. 

Standings for the groups that have already gotten underway:

Matchday 2

6/18 – Tuesday

1 pm – Czechia 🆚 South Africa – Mercedes-Benz Stadium

10 pm – Mexico 🆚 South Korea – Estadio Akron

Matchday 2

6/18 – Thursday

4 pm – Switzerland 🆚 Bosnia – SoFi Stadium

7 pm – Canada 🆚 Qatar – BC Place

Matchday 2

6/19 – Friday

7 pm – Scotland 🆚 Morocco – Gillette Stadium

9:30 pm – Brazil 🆚 Haiti – Lincoln Financial Field

Matchday 2

6/19 – Friday

4 pm – United States 🆚 Australia – Lumen Field

6/20 – Saturday

12 am – Türkiye 🆚 Paraguay – Levi’s Stadium

Matchday 2

6/20 – Saturday

5 pm – Germany 🆚 Ivory Coast – BMO Field

9 pm – Ecuador 🆚 Curaçao – Arrowhead Stadium

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.