Curacao national football team vs Ivory Coast national football team: Ivory Coast had to count on him most, and Nicolas Pepe didn’t let them down by scoring two goals in a relaxed 2-0 win against Curacao on Thursday, Because of this taking Les Elephants to the FIFA World Cup knockout round for the first time in history. From 2006 to 2014, the Ivorians kept getting knocked out in the group stage three times before one of their best-ever performances, when they even finished second in Group E, six points behind Germany. In the Round of 32 at Arlington Texas they will face the second-placed team of Group I.
FIFA World Cup 2026: Ivory Coast makes it to knockouts for the first time
Nicolas Pepe’s double sealed Ivory Coast’s first trip to the World Cup knockout phase with a 2-0 victory over Curacao on Thursday to finish second in Group E. Curacao became the eighth team eliminated from the tournament, a fate that arrived later than many anticipated after the Caribbean country became the smallest nation to qualify for the World Cup finals.
Ivory Coast were third in their group in their three previous World Cup appearances from 2006-2014 and will face the second-place team in Group I, France and Norway, on Tuesday in Arlington, Texas.
Curacao vs Ivory Coast: Nicolas Pepe wins it for Cote d’Ivoire
After failing to score in five World Cup qualifying appearances and not being included in manager Emerse Fae’s recent African Cup of Nations squad, Pepe was not an obvious candidate to play hero. But he took both goals exceptionally well for his first tallies in a competitive international fixture since October 2024.
The first came through the latest in a continuous string of threatening moves from 19-year-old Yan Diomande, who alertly pounced on a Curacao error trying to play out of the back and spotted Pepe charging to the near post. Diomande laid the ball back from the byline, and Pepe hammered a low first-time finish through goalkeeper Eloy Room from close range.
With plenty of sun and temperatures hovering in the mid 80s Fahrenheit, the game appeared to be slowing before Pepe finished off an incisive second for the Africans. Ibrahim Sangare spotted Pepe’s run into the box with a perfect, line-splitting through ball and Pepe curled his finish from 10 metres inside the left post.
FIFA World Cup 2026: Curacao miss crucial chances
Although it was a deserved Ivorian victory, Curacao had their moments in possibly their last managed by 78-year-old Dutchman Dick Advocaat, who was taking charge of his third World Cup side. In the 44th minute, Leandro Bacuna sliced through three defenders into the left half of the penalty area but sent his effort low and wide of the near post, and after the interval Sherel Floranus found space but fired narrowly over the bar.
Amad Diallo, Ivory Coast’s first goalscorer in the tournament, departed at halftime, though it was unclear if this was due to injury.
Pragun is a passionate cricket follower and writer who deeply loves the game. Having completed his education with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, he has an experience of almost two years in diverse fields. He is known for his statistical and analytical articles. Pragun tries to bring life to his articles by adding a layer of enthusiasm from the perspective of a hardcore fan. Apart from writing cricket articles, he sometimes appears on YouTube videos on a friend’s podcast.
The post FIFA World Cup 2026: Nicolas Pepe Fires Ivory Coast Into Historic First-Ever Knockout Stage With Brace vs Curacao appeared first on NewsX.
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