Pepe Sends Ivory Coast Into Historic World Cup Knockout Stage
Ivory Coast have secured a place in the Round of 32 at the FIFA World Cup for the first time in their history after a 2-0 victory over Curacao, with veteran forward Nicolas Pepe delivering a decisive brace.
The result means the Elephants finish second in Group E behind Germany, becoming the third African nation alongside Morocco and South Africa to reach the knockout phase of the tournament.
Pepe set the tone early, breaking the deadlock in the seventh minute after a well-timed assist from Yan Diomande. The forward later sealed the win in the 64th minute with a composed curling finish to cap off a standout performance.
The victory also strengthened Ivory Coast’s place in World Cup history. They became only the second African team to score first in all three of their group-stage matches, matching Nigeria’s achievement from the 1994 tournament.
Individually, Pepe also climbed into the record books. His two-goal display made him only the second Ivorian player to score a brace at a World Cup, following Aruna Dindane’s effort in 2006 against Serbia. At 31 years and 27 days, he also became the second-oldest African player to score a World Cup brace, behind Cameroon legend Roger Milla.
After the match, Pepe credited his teammates for the result, highlighting Diomande’s creativity in the opening goal and stressing the importance of staying focused as the team prepares for tougher challenges ahead.
“We’re going to try to go as far as possible… we have the quality,” he said, underlining Ivory Coast’s ambition to extend their tournament run.
Head coach Emerse Faé also expressed pride in his squad’s achievement, praising their resilience in a demanding group stage and urging them to keep pushing forward.
He noted that while qualification was a significant milestone, the team’s ambition remains much bigger as they prepare for the knockout rounds, where they could face either Norway national football team or France.
For Curacao, their maiden World Cup campaign ends in disappointment after failing to progress despite a spirited showing. Heavy defeat to Germany and a draw with Ecuador left them needing a breakthrough that ultimately never came, as they bowed out at the group stage.
