23 min OFF THE BAR! Ecuador 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.
They get it back, shoot again (not as close this time), and now, everybody hydrate!
21 min As a youth referee, I can’t wait to have coaches yelling at me that a player has to leave the field every time a 10-year-old says “Ow!” Thanks, IFAB.
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.
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 Côte d’Ivoire corner kick.
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’t have to leave the field.
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17 min A one-timer from Bazoumana Touré goes just wide of the far post, and it’s clear from the replay that goalkeeper Galíndez got a touch.
Another promising possession for Ecuador, but it goes quickly the other way, and Galíndez is asked to make a save. He agrees to do just that.
16 min Pépé opts to venture through traffic rather than play wide to Diomande. But they still leave Ecuador chasing the ball until a shot comes in with considerable venom.
14 min Yeboah blasts a shot high. Ecuador aren’t having any trouble creating shots. They’re 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.)
12 min Further evidence of Ecuador’s support – the disapproving noises when Côte d’Ivoire string together multiple passes.
Which, to be fair, they’re not doing very often.
10 min Considerable swaths of yellow in the stands, representing Ecuador.
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?
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9 min One of those stats you hear in passing and think “that can’t be right” – Côte d’Ivoire conceded 0 goals in 10 World Cup qualifiers. Zero. None. Nil.
They must have been passing a bit better than they just did. Sloppy giveaway there.
7 min It’s been a high-paced start, even in the heat, but Côte d’Ivoire have started to slow things now.
4 min Speaking of fashion, it’s nice to see ornate goalkeeping jerseys coming back into vogue. It felt like some powers that be somewhere was aghast at Jorge Campos’ colorful gear and made everyone start dressing in bland single colors.
We have some early disagreements, as Ecuador are upset with opposing captain Franck Kessié.
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2 min It’s 90 degrees Fahrenheit. If you prefer Celsius … good for you.
Caicedo sends an ambitious effort well wide, almost as if to send a warning rather than to put something directly on frame.
Peep!
If you’re in the USA, you’re 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.
One final thought before kickoff is just a programming note – 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.
That gig started with a bang. When we played our first note, the whole bar erupted. Turns out Scotland had just scored.
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?
I’m the wrong person to ask, having recently been informed that I’ve been dressing incorrectly my entire life because I tuck in my T-shirts when wearing a T-shirt and jeans. That’s apparently a no-no.
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Peter Oh preps us for the game with some puns: “I should really take a break from binge match watching but why move from the sofa when it’s unpleasantly hot outside (here in northern California) and a cold beer is staring at me? Will Côte d’Ivoire shine on you crazy Diomande? Will Ecuador unleash its Enner Valencia? There’s only one way to find out!”
Lineups are in …
Côte d’Ivoire:
GK Yahia Fofana
D Ghislain Konan, Wilfried Singo, Guéla Doué, Emmanuel Agbadou
M Seko Fofana, Franck Kessié (capt.)
F Yan Diomande, Elye Wahi, Nicolas Pépé, Bazoumana Toure
The position breakdown is according to FIFA’s lineup. Presumably, one of the players listed at forward will be at midfield, though a 4-2-4 would be fun to watch.
Defender Evan N’Dicke has a hamstring issue.
Ecuador
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
Valencia has had a recent calf injury.
Another injury of note: English referee Michael Oliver will be unable to fulfill his assignment. French referee Francois Letexier is his replacement.
Preamble
Was it really more than 10 years ago that we last saw Didier Drogba, Kolo Touré and Yaya Touré roaming the field for everyone’s favorite surprise pick, Côte d’Ivoire?
And was it really more than some undetermined number of years since a player you’ve certainly heard of was playing for Ecuador?
Côte d’Ivoire 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’s team this year may be among the best the country has ever fielded, which is not the case for Côte d’Ivoire.
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?
In today’s other Group E match, World Cup debutants Curaçao 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.
Beau will be here shortly. In the meantime, catch up on what to know about Côte d’Ivoire and Ecuador with our team guides.
Côte d’Ivoire 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’s top leagues.
The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations winners, on home soil, usually play 4-3-3 although there are questions over who will play in arguably the most important position: holding midfield.
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’s best defences and a long unbeaten streak.
La Tri secured World Cup qualification with victories that showed collective maturity. This is not a team dependent on one superstar; it is young and balanced. However, goals remains a problem; they scored 14, conceding five, in 18 games in the qualifiers.
