Key events<\/p>\n
36 min Vital intervention from Franco in the Ecuadorian penalty area as Diamonde neatly sets up P\u00e9p\u00e9 for a 12-yard shot. The Ecuadorian defender did well to slide in and absorb the brunt of the shot.<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n 34 min Ecuador attempt a patient possession, but to be honest, that doesn\u2019t seem to be their strength. They\u2019re better at winning the ball, making one or two passes and then finding someone to rip a shot from 20 yards or so.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a019.38 EDT<\/p>\n 33 min Seko Fofana sends a shot in the general direction of New Jersey.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 32 min Our referee (from France, remember, subbing for an injured Englishman) emphatically waves off a plea from Ecuador<\/a> to award a free kick just outside the box. Went to ground a bit too easily. At first glance, that\u2019s a good no-call. And very well communicated.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n It was Minda again with the shot, as he made a well-timed run and had only the keeper to beat from a slight angle 8 yards out. He beat the keeper but not the woodwork.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 30 min Speculative cross from Ecuador<\/a> is well-collected, but the distribution is poor, Ecuador recycle the ball, and it\u2019s OFF THE BAR AGAIN!<\/p>\n Alan Minda hits the bar! Photograph: Dylan Martinez\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a019.38 EDT<\/p>\n 28 min Hydration complete. We resume, and we have a yellow card to Ivorian midfielder Seko Fofana for a foul that flips Caicedo, though maybe it\u2019s a bit theatrical.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n We can\u2019t say this game has lacked for action thus far. Only one shot on target, though, and it was a weak effort from C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 23 min OFF THE BAR! Ecuador<\/a> take a free kick backwards, play it quickly up the field, then steal a pass and immediately unleash a shot that had Yahia Fofana just watching in horror.<\/p>\n They get it back, shoot again (not as close this time), and now, everybody hydrate!<\/p>\n John Yeboah see\u2019s his effort cannon off the bar. Photograph: Mauro Pimentel\/AFP\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a019.36 EDT<\/p>\n 21 min As a youth referee, I can\u2019t wait to have coaches yelling at me that a player has to leave the field every time a 10-year-old says \u201cOw!\u201d Thanks, IFAB.<\/p>\n Caicedo waits to come back on like Darth Maul waiting for Qui-Gon to get past the pointless force field so they can resume their light saber battle.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 19 min Diomande brings the ball to a halt, pauses a couple of seconds, then beats his defender with a single lightning-quick touch. End result is a C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire corner kick.<\/p>\n We then have one of those awkward moments in which play stopped for an injured player who then immediately pops up insisting he is not hurt so he doesn\u2019t have to leave the field.<\/p>\n Yan Diomande shimmies past Piero Hincapie on the right for C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire. Photograph: Dylan Martinez\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a019.29 EDT<\/p>\n 17 min A one-timer from Bazoumana Tour\u00e9 goes just wide of the far post, and it\u2019s clear from the replay that goalkeeper Gal\u00edndez got a touch.<\/p>\n Another promising possession for Ecuador<\/a>, but it goes quickly the other way, and Gal\u00edndez is asked to make a save. He agrees to do just that.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 16 min P\u00e9p\u00e9 opts to venture through traffic rather than play wide to Diomande. But they still leave Ecuador<\/a> chasing the ball until a shot comes in with considerable venom.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 14 min Yeboah blasts a shot high. Ecuador<\/a> aren\u2019t having any trouble creating shots. They\u2019re just having trouble unleashing shots that would count in association football rather than rugby football or US football. (In Gaelic football, it would be one point rather than three.)<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 12 min Further evidence of Ecuador\u2019s support \u2013 the disapproving noises when C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire string together multiple passes.<\/p>\n Which, to be fair, they\u2019re not doing very often.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 10 min Considerable swaths of yellow in the stands, representing Ecuador<\/a>.<\/p>\n They nearly have something to celebrate as Agbadou falls in his own area with the ball inbound for Enner Valencia, but the Ecuadorian veteran sends the ball well over the bar despite little pressure. Maybe he wanted one of the fans in yellow to get the ball?<\/p>\n Enner Valencia fires over with the goal at his mercy! Photograph: Charly Triballeau\/AFP\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a019.19 EDT<\/p>\n 9 min One of those stats you hear in passing and think \u201cthat can\u2019t be right\u201d \u2013 C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire conceded 0 goals in 10 World Cup<\/a> qualifiers. Zero. None. Nil.<\/p>\n They must have been passing a bit better than they just did. Sloppy giveaway there.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 7 min It\u2019s been a high-paced start, even in the heat, but C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire have started to slow things now.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 4 min Speaking of fashion, it\u2019s nice to see ornate goalkeeping jerseys coming back into vogue. It felt like some powers that be somewhere was aghast at Jorge Campos\u2019 colorful gear and made everyone start dressing in bland single colors.<\/p>\n We have some early disagreements, as Ecuador<\/a> are upset with opposing captain Franck Kessi\u00e9.<\/p>\n Great days, great migraine-inducing days. Photograph: Lutz Bongarts\/Bongarts\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a019.14 EDT<\/p>\n 2 min It\u2019s 90 degrees Fahrenheit. If you prefer Celsius \u2026 good for you.<\/p>\n Caicedo sends an ambitious effort well wide, almost as if to send a warning rather than to put something directly on frame.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Peep!<\/p>\n If you\u2019re in the USA, you\u2019re hearing the great JP Dellacamera on the call. One of the longest-serving commentators in US history. Lori Lindsey, the first captain of the Washington Spirit and a national team veteran, is with him.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n One final thought before kickoff is just a programming note \u2013 I will not be doing live coverage of Games 6 and 7 of the NBA Finals because those games will not exist, as I found during a break in a gig last night.<\/p>\n That gig started with a bang. When we played our first note, the whole bar erupted. Turns out Scotland had just scored.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n One question that needs addressing: Have we, as a civilization, given up on the idea of wearing appropriate dress shoes with suits? Is it now perfectly OK to wear white sneakers with a dark suit?<\/p>\n There are so many things wrong here but Gianni Infantino\u2019s footwear are number one on the list. Photograph: Ira L Black\/FIFA\/Getty Images<\/p>\n I\u2019m the wrong person to ask, having recently been informed that I\u2019ve been dressing incorrectly my entire life because I tuck in my T-shirts when wearing a T-shirt and jeans. That\u2019s apparently a no-no.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a019.04 EDT<\/p>\n Peter Oh preps us for the game with some puns: \u201cI should really take a break from binge match watching but why move from the sofa when it\u2019s unpleasantly hot outside (here in northern California) and a cold beer is staring at me? Will C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire shine on you crazy Diomande? Will Ecuador<\/a> unleash its Enner Valencia? There\u2019s only one way to find out!\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Lineups are in \u2026<\/p>\n C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire: The position breakdown is according to FIFA\u2019s lineup. Presumably, one of the players listed at forward will be at midfield, though a 4-2-4 would be fun to watch.<\/p>\n Defender Evan N\u2019Dicke has a hamstring issue.<\/p>\n Ecuador Valencia has had a recent calf injury.<\/p>\n Another injury of note: English referee Michael Oliver will be unable to fulfill his assignment. French referee Francois Letexier is his replacement.<\/p>\n Moises Caicedo<\/a>Share<\/a>Preamble<\/p>\n Was it really more than 10 years ago that we last saw Didier Drogba, Kolo Tour\u00e9 and Yaya Tour\u00e9 roaming the field for everyone\u2019s favorite surprise pick, C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire?<\/p>\n And was it really more than some undetermined number of years since a player you\u2019ve certainly heard of was playing for Ecuador<\/a>?<\/p>\n C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire won their third African Cup of Nations just three years ago, while Ecuador is typically overshadowed by Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and maybe whoever else in South America has a good team at the time. But Ecuador\u2019s team this year may be among the best the country has ever fielded, which is not the case for C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n In the game that has just finished, Japan twice fought back a one-goal deficit to get a 2-2 draw against the Netherlands. Surprise of the tournament so far?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n In today\u2019s other Group E match, World Cup<\/a> debutants Cura\u00e7ao reveled in the joy of their first goal, an equaliser by Livano Comenencia in the 21st minute after Felix Nmecha put Germany up in the sixth. But Kai Havertz and the ruthless Germans showed no mercy for the remainder of the match at Houston Stadium.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Beau will be here shortly. In the meantime, catch up on what to know about C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire and Ecuador<\/a> with our team guides.<\/p>\n C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire return to the world stage for the first time since the golden years of the early 2010s. They do not quite have the star power of old, but their squad is packed with recognisable faces to fans in Europe\u2019s top leagues.<\/p>\n The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations winners<\/a>, on home soil, usually play 4-3-3 although there are questions over who will play in arguably the most important position: holding midfield.<\/p>\n Ecuador arrive as one of the most solid and respected teams in Conmebol. They finished second in the qualifiers behind Argentina despite the points deduction from the 2022 Byron Castillo case, standing out for having one of the continent\u2019s best defences and a long unbeaten streak.<\/p>\n
GK Yahia Fofana
D Ghislain Konan, Wilfried Singo, Gu\u00e9la Dou\u00e9, Emmanuel Agbadou
M Seko Fofana, Franck Kessi\u00e9 (capt.)
F Yan Diomande, Elye Wahi, Nicolas P\u00e9p\u00e9, Bazoumana Toure<\/p>\n
GK Hernan Galindez
D Piero Hincapie, Joel Ordonez, Willian Pacho
M Alan Minda, Pedro Vite, Alan Franco, Moises Caicedo
F John Yeboah, Enner Valencia (capt.), Gonzalo Plata<\/p>\n