Nicolas Pepe scored twice as Ivory Coast beat Curacao 2-0 in Philadelphia to reach the World Cup knockout rounds for the first time in their history, ending the tiny Caribbean nation's debut campaign.
Match Summary and Group Standings
Former Arsenal forward Pepe, now at Villarreal, opened the scoring after just seven minutes and added a second just after the hour mark. The victory gave Ivory Coast six points in Group E, following a 1-0 win over Ecuador and a 2-1 loss to Germany. They finished second behind Germany on head-to-head, as the Germans lost 2-1 to Ecuador simultaneously in New Jersey.
The 2024 African champions had never advanced beyond the group stage in three previous World Cup appearances. Their reward is a last-32 tie next Tuesday in Dallas against the runners-up of Group I, likely France or Norway.
Curacao's Historic but Winless Campaign
Curacao, with a population of just 160,000, made history by qualifying for the World Cup as the smallest nation ever to reach the finals. However, they finished bottom of the group without a win. After a 7-1 thrashing by Germany in their opener, they held Ecuador to a 0-0 draw. Against Ivory Coast, they couldn't repeat that resilience.
Dick Advocaat's side had chances: Jurien Gaari shot just past the post, Leandro Bacuna dribbled into the box but shot wide late in the first half, and Sherel Floranus flashed an effort over the bar early in the second half. But they couldn't recover after Pepe's second goal in the 64th minute.
Key Moments and Crowd
The opening goal came early when Yan Diomande, a standout young talent from RB Leipzig, cut the ball back for Pepe to tap in. The second goal was crafted by Nottingham Forest's Ibrahim Sangare, whose through ball allowed Pepe to control, slot past Eloy Room, and find the far corner.
The match was played before a sell-out crowd of 68,324 at Lincoln Financial Field, a testament to the World Cup's impact in the United States. Ivory Coast fans filled the stands in orange, celebrating their team's historic achievement.
Ten of Curacao's starting line-up were born in the Netherlands, and many had represented the Dutch national team at various levels. Despite their exit, they left with pride, having competed on the world stage.
