Ivory Coast advance as Pepe scores twice to send Curacao home

With six points, Ivory Coast finished runners-up to Germany in Group E

Ivory Coast's Nicolas Pepe celebrates scoring their second goal with Christopher Operi. REUTERS

Nicolas Pepe’s double sealed Ivory Coast’s first trip to the World Cup knockout phase with a 2-0 victory over Curacao on Thursday to finish second in Group E.

Curacao became the eighth team eliminated from the tournament, a fate that arrived later than many anticipated after the Caribbean country became the smallest nation to qualify for the World Cup finals.

Ivory Coast were third in their group in their three previous World Cup appearances from 2006-2014 and will face the second-place team in Group I, France and Norway, on Tuesday in Arlington, Texas.

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 October 2024.

Curacao Error

The first came through the latest in a continuous string of threatening moves from 19-year-old Yan Diomande, who 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 close range.

With plenty of sun and temperatures hovering in the mid 80s Fahrenheit, the game appeared to be slowing before Pepe finished off an incisive second for the Africans.

Ibrahim Sangare spotted Pepe’s run into the box with a perfect, line-splitting through ball and Pepe curled his finish from 10 metres inside the left post.

Although it was a deserved Ivorian victory, Curacao had their moments in possibly their last managed by 78-year-old Dutchman Dick Advocaat, who was taking charge of his third World Cup side.

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, and after the interval Sherel Floranus found space but fired narrowly over the bar.

Amad Diallo, Ivory Coast’s first goalscorer in the tournament, departed at halftime, though it was unclear if this was due to injury.