Côte d’Ivoire made history on Wednesday by reaching the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup for the first time after defeating Curaçao 2-0 in their final Group E fixture.
The Elephants secured second place in the group thanks to a clinical performance from Nicolas Pepe, whose second-half brace ensured the West Africans progressed to the Round of 32.
The breakthrough came after Curaçao were caught in possession deep inside their own half. Youngster Yan Diomande capitalised on the defensive mistake before teeing up Pepe, who kept his composure to slot home the opening goal.
Pepe sealed the victory after the break, timing his run perfectly to meet an incisive through ball from Ibrahim Sangaré before curling a superb finish into the far corner.
Curaçao, appearing at their first-ever FIFA World Cup, refused to go down without a fight and created several promising opportunities. However, they lacked the cutting edge needed to trouble the Ivorians and bowed out of the tournament after a spirited campaign.
The victory marks a landmark achievement for Côte d’Ivoire, who had failed to progress beyond the group stage in their previous World Cup appearances in 2006, 2010 and 2014.
After bouncing back from an opening defeat to Germany, the Elephants showed resilience to finish as Group E runners-up and secure a long-awaited place in the knockout rounds.
Côte d’Ivoire will now face either France or Norway in the Round of 32 as they continue their quest to make even more history at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.