Nicolas Pepe scored twice as Ivory Coast beat Curacao 2-0 on Thursday to qualify for the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in their history, while ending the run of the tournament’s smallest-ever nation.
The former Arsenal forward, now at Villarreal, put the Elephants ahead after seven minutes in Philadelphia and added a second just after the hour to seal the win at Lincoln Financial Field. Ivory Coast finished Group E with six points from a opening 1-0 win over Ecuador and a 2-1 defeat to Germany.
They advance in second place on head-to-head, with Germany topping the group despite losing 2-1 to Ecuador in a simultaneous fixture in New Jersey. It is the first time the 2024 African champions have escaped the group stage in four World Cup appearances.
They now face the runner-up from Group I — either France, birthplace of Pepe and several Ivorian teammates, or Norway — in the last 32 in Dallas next Tuesday. Curacao, representing a population of barely 160,000, made history simply by reaching the tournament but finished bottom of the group without a win, having lost 7-1 to Germany before holding Ecuador 0-0 in their second match.
A sellout crowd of 68,324 watched the game, with Yan Diomande setting up Pepe’s opener and Ibrahim Sangare providing the assist for his second.
