PHILADELPHIA — Nicolas Pepe’s double sealed Ivory Coast’s first-ever trip to the World Cup knockout phase in a 2-0 victory over Curacao on Thursday afternoon.
Pepe’s somewhat unlikely brace in this Group E finale helped the Ivorians (2-1-0, 6 points) finish second while eliminating debutants Curacao from contention. Les Elephants finished third in their group in their three previous World Cup appearances from 2006-14.
The West Africans will face the second-place finisher between France and Norway in Group I on Tuesday in Arlington, Texas.
Curacao (0-2-1, 1 point) became the eighth team eliminated at this tournament, a fate that arrived later than many anticipated after they became the smallest nation ever to qualify for a World Cup finals last November.
The Blue Wave had their chances in this match, perhaps their last managed by 78-year-old Dutchman Dick Advocaat, who was taking charge of his third World Cup side.
Amad Diallo, Ivory Coast’s first goal-scorer of this tournament, departed at halftime, though it was unclear if injury played a role.
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 Oct. 11, 2024.
The first came in the seventh minute, through the latest in a continuous string of threatening moves from 19-year-old Yan Diomande in this tournament.
This time, Diomande 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 6 yards out.
With plenty of sun and temperatures hovering in the mid-80s, the game appeared to be slowing before Pepe finished off an incisive second for the Africans in the 64th.
Ibrahim Sangare spotted Pepe’s run into the box with a perfect, line-splitting throughball and Pepe curled his finish from 12 yards beyond Room and inside the left post.
While it was a deserved Ivorian victory, Curacao had their moments. 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.
Ten minutes after the interval, Sherel Floranus found space beyond the 18 but fired narrowly over Yahia Fofana’s top right corner.
