Ivory Coast match winner against Ecuador Amad Diallo said they expected a tough battle against the South Americans but happy to start the campaign with maximum points.
The Manchester United winger came off the bench to score a superb goal that handed the Elephants all three points in a group that also has Curacao and former champions Germany.
“We needed that. We came here to make history. We still have two more matches ahead of us, and we need to approach them with the same mentality and try to win them,” he said after the game.
“We had to stay focused. We knew it was going to be a difficult match because we know the Ecuadorian players – they’re physically very strong. They caused us problems, of course, but we stayed composed and remained focused,” he added.
Teammate Yan Diamonde who was named Man of the match for his excellent display described the match as stressful asserting the urge to represent the 33 million Ivorians with honour.
“We fought hard, we succeeded, and we’re all delighted. It’s always a pleasure to represent your country,” the youngest ever Ivorian at the Fifa World Cup.
“It’s tough and it’s stressful because we’re representing nearly 33 million people. We’re playing for our families, our friends, our loved ones, and in this kind of competition we all want to give it our all. We want to win every match. We want to make our mark on history, and that’s what we’re all trying to do together.”
The Ivorians face former winners Germany in their next match in tight contest that could shape the group leadership.
How to watch World Cup matches
All 104 matches will be live on DStv on four dedicated FIFA World Cup Channels in multiple languages. The Channels are FIFA World Cup Central (Channel 222), FIFA World Cup Extra (Channel 223), FIFA World Cup Pass (Channel 225), and FIFA World Cup Swahili (Channel 224).
