Politics
Pépé’s Double Send Ivory Coast into First-Ever W/ Cup Knockout Stage – THISAGE
By Ayo Kehinde
Nicolas Pépé scored twice as the Ivory Coast defeated Curaçao 2-0 in Philadelphia to book a place in the knockout stage of the FIFA Men’s World Cup for the first time in the nation’s history.
The Elephants made the perfect start, opening the scoring in the seventh minute after a costly defensive error.
Jurien Gaari’s misplaced pass allowed Yan Diomandé to break free before delivering a low cross for Pépé, who finished from close range.
With only a draw required to progress, Ivory Coast controlled the contest for long spells, dominating possession with 62 percent and limiting Curaçao’s opportunities.
Pépé wrapped up the victory in the 64th minute, collecting an incisive pass from Ibrahim Sangaré before curling a composed finish into the top corner beyond goalkeeper Eloy Room.
The brace also earned the 31-year-old a place in African football history, making him the second-oldest African player to score twice in a World Cup match, behind Cameroonian legend Roger Milla.
Ivory Coast’s landmark qualification sets up a Round of 32 clash against the loser of Friday’s Group F encounter between France and Norway.
For Curaçao, the defeat brought an end to a memorable debut World Cup campaign.
The Caribbean nation, the smallest country ever to feature at the FIFA Men’s World Cup, finished with one point and one goal from three matches.
Although Curaçao managed 10 shots against the Ivory Coast, they were unable to find a breakthrough and concluded the group stage having faced 30 shots on target across their three matches—the highest total conceded by any team in a single World Cup group stage since DPR Korea in 2010.
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