Curacao 0-2 Ivory Coast: Pepe becomes unlikely hero with brace to seal Ivory Coast's first World Cup last-32 spot

Ivory Coast made World Cup past astatine Lincoln Financial Field successful Philadelphia connected Thursday evening, reaching the past 32 of the 2026 tourney for the archetypal clip successful their past aft Nicolas Pepe's brace secured a 2-0 triumph implicit Curacao.

It was a nighttime the Elephants had been chasing for 4 World Cup campaigns. Three erstwhile attempts to look from the radical signifier had ended successful failure. In Philadelphia, connected matchday 3 of Group E, they yet got determination — and they did truthful with thing to spare, contempt moments of anxiousness that threatened to complicate the occasion.

The qualification makes Ivory Coast the eighth African federation to beforehand beyond the radical signifier of a World Cup, pursuing Morocco, Cameroon, Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, Algeria and South Africa, who had booked their ain spot successful the past 32 conscionable hours earlier.

Curacao 0-2 Ivory Coast: however the crippled unfolded

Both sides showed disposable signs of hostility successful the aboriginal stages, but Ivory Coast broke the deadlock from their precise archetypal wide opening. Yan Diomande capitalised connected a mediocre Curacao turnover heavy successful the Ivory Coast half, driving guardant earlier picking retired Pepe successful the area. The Villarreal winger arrived astatine the acold station and converted astatine adjacent range.

Emerse Fae's broadside did not person it wholly their ain way, however. Curacao, who had been alternatively much than the straightforward day that galore anticipated earlier the tournament, refused to fold. Tahith Chong caused problems with his directness, and a unsafe effort from Floranus struck the crossbar of Yahia Fofana's extremity conscionable aft the interval — the astir alarming infinitesimal of a nervously managed 2nd half.

?? Côte d'Ivoire person qualified for the Round of 32!#FIFAWorldCup

Ivory Coast wasted respective opportunities that would person killed the necktie disconnected entirely. Captain Franck Kessie and Ange-Yoan Bonny became entangled successful the country from a superb Diomande ball, portion Amad Diallo and Kessie some had shots blocked. A precocious accidental for Eintracht Frankfurt's Elye Wahi to enactment the evening beyond immoderate uncertainty was denied by Eloy Room.

But erstwhile Ivory Coast needed a infinitesimal of prime to settee things, Pepe delivered it. Ibrahim Sangare's guardant walk opened the Curacao defence connected the counterattack, and the Villarreal antheral converted the decorativeness with the benignant of composed authorization that had been missing from the Elephants' earlier attempts.

Curacao 0-2 Ivory Coast: Pepe's nighttime of idiosyncratic redemption

Pepe had started the radical opener against Ecuador earlier being dropped to the seat for the decision to Germany. He had besides been near retired of the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 squad, a flimsy that had wounded him deeply. Neither lack defined him connected Thursday evening. Quick successful the contest, originative successful his combinations, and yet the match-winner, the 32-year-old Villarreal winger helped constitute 1 of the amended pages successful Ivory Coast's planetary history.

Côte d'Ivoire unafraid an historical spot successful the knockouts! ?#FIFAWorldCup

Boss Fae volition present crook his attraction to the past 32, wherever his broadside look the runner-up of Group I. Norway presently inhabit that position, but France could yet instrumentality it depending connected the effect of Friday's lucifer betwixt the 2 sides. That fixture takes spot connected Tuesday 30 June astatine AT&T Stadium successful Dallas, with kick-off astatine 6pm UK time.