Nicolas Pepe struck a brilliant brace as Ivory Coast scripted history by storming into the World Cup knockout rounds for the very first time with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Curaçao at the Lincoln Financial Field on Friday.
Les Élephants, making their fourth tournament appearance, successfully crashed the party to finish second in Group E with six points. The West African nation will now face either France or Norway on June 30 in what will be the biggest match in their football history.
Playing in front of a passionate 68,324-strong crowd that effectively turned Philadelphia into a home away from home, Ivory Coast needed only a draw to qualify. However, they played with immense competitive fire from the opening whistle.
Pepe wiped out any early nerves just seven minutes into the game. The Villarreal forward pounced on an error after Curaçao failed to clear their lines. 19-year-old prodigy Yan Diomande snared the loose ball and unselfishly fed Pépé, who slotted it past 37-year-old Curaçao goalkeeper Eloy Room.
Curaçao, the small Caribbean island nation relying heavily on Netherlands-born talent, fought gamely but lacked the cutting edge to trouble the robust Ivorian defense. Room, who had made 15 saves against Ecuador to secure Curaçao’s historic first-ever World Cup point, was kept busy by a relentless West African attack.
The historic victory was signed and sealed in the 64th minute. Pepe found space on the far corner and unleashed a precise left-footed strike to trigger wild celebrations in the stadium. The star attacker was substituted three minutes later to a standing ovation, earning crucial rest for the upcoming round-of-32 clash.
In another late development, Ivory Coast striker Elye Wahi, currently under investigation for alleged betting-related offenses, made an appearance as a second-half substitute after sitting out the previous game against Germany.
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