Nicolas Pepe scored twice as Ivory Coast defeated Curacao 2-0 in their final Group E match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Thursday, securing a place in the knockout stage of the tournament for the first time in the country’s history.
The victory saw the Ivorians finish second in Group E with six points and book a Round of 32 meeting with the runners-up from Group I, either France or Norway, in Arlington, Texas.
Curacao, making their World Cup finals debut, became the eighth team to be eliminated from the tournament after falling short in their bid to reach the knockout rounds.
Ivory Coast started brightly and took the lead early after sustained pressure. Nineteen-year-old Yan Diomande capitalised on a defensive error as Curacao attempted to play out from the back before racing to the byline. He picked out Pepe with a low cutback, and the forward struck a first-time finish through goalkeeper Eloy Room from close range.
The African side continued to dominate possession and pressed high across the pitch, while Curacao struggled to cope with the intensity of their opponents. Despite a handful of promising moments, including efforts from Jurien Gaari and Leandro Bacuna, Curacao found it difficult to break through an organised Ivorian defence led by Ousmane Diomande and Odilon Kossounou.
Bacuna produced Curacao’s best chance of the opening half in the 44th minute when he dribbled past three defenders into the penalty area, but his low effort drifted wide of the near post.
With temperatures in the mid-80s Fahrenheit, the tempo slowed after the break before Ivory Coast struck again midway through the second half.
Ibrahim Sangare threaded a precise through ball into the penalty area, finding Pepe’s well-timed run. The forward curled a composed finish from around 10 metres inside the left post to complete his brace and effectively end Curacao’s hopes of a comeback.
The two-goal performance marked Pepe’s first goals in a competitive international match since October 2024. Having failed to score during five World Cup qualifying appearances and missing out on manager Emerse Fae’s recent Africa Cup of Nations squad, the forward responded with one of the biggest performances of his international career.
Pepe became only the fifth player to score more than once for Ivory Coast at a men’s FIFA World Cup.
Ivory Coast managed the closing stages comfortably, introducing fresh players to maintain control while limiting Curacao’s attacking opportunities. Sherel Floranus came closest for the Caribbean side after the interval, firing narrowly over the crossbar, but clear-cut chances remained scarce.
Amad Diallo, who scored Ivory Coast’s first goal of the tournament earlier in the competition, was substituted at half-time. The reason for his withdrawal was not immediately confirmed.
Germany, despite suffering a surprise 2-1 defeat to Ecuador in the other Group E fixture, still finished top of the group, while Ivory Coast advanced in second place.
Leave a Reply