Ecuador’s record unbeaten streak came to a painful end on Sunday as Côte d’Ivoire snatched a dramatic 1-0 victory in their FIFA World Cup Group E opener, denying the South Americans a place in the record books.

For much of the contest, Ecuador appeared poised to extend their national-team record unbeaten run to 20 matches. Having gone 19 consecutive games without defeat — a sequence comprising eight wins and 11 draws — they were within minutes of preserving that remarkable record.

Instead, a late goal from Amad Diallo shattered Ecuador’s hopes and handed the Elephants a memorable victory on their return to the World Cup after a 12-year absence.

With the match deadlocked at 0-0 and heading towards what would have been the tournament’s first scoreless draw, Amad struck in the closing stages to seal all three points for the African side.

The goal not only transformed the outcome of the match but also brought an abrupt end to Ecuador’s longest-ever unbeaten sequence.

The South Americans had looked capable of extending their impressive run after creating several scoring opportunities throughout the encounter. They twice struck the crossbar during the first half and often appeared the more threatening side.

However, their inability to convert those chances proved costly.

As the clock ticked down, Ecuador seemed destined to preserve their unbeaten record and collect a valuable point. Instead, Côte d’Ivoire’s late breakthrough turned celebration into heartbreak.

The defeat marks Ecuador’s first loss in 20 matches and represents a significant setback in a group that already features four-time world champions Germany.

For Côte d’Ivoire, meanwhile, the victory continues an encouraging resurgence under coach Emerse Faé. The Elephants now sit level on three points with Germany, who earlier crushed Curaçao 7-1 in the other Group E fixture.

The result sets up a mouth-watering clash between the two group leaders in the next round of matches, while Ecuador will face Curaçao knowing that anything less than victory could severely damage their hopes of reaching the knockout stage.

For Ecuador, the disappointment will be particularly acute because the record-breaking 20th unbeaten match was within touching distance.

Instead, it is Côte d’Ivoire who leave with the points, while one of international football’s longest active unbeaten runs comes to an end on the biggest stage of all.

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