Pépé Brace Seals Historic Knockout Berth: Curaçao 0–2 Côte d'Ivoire (World Cup 2026 Group E)

Individual Contributions

• Yan Diomande was named Man of the Match and set up the opening goal with a cross after pouncing on Curaçao's defensive error .
• Ibrahim Sangaré provided the assist for the second goal with a sharp pass into Pépé's path .
• Nicolas Pépé became the second Ivorian ever to score a World Cup brace (after Aruna Dindane in 2006) and, at 31 years 27 days, the second-oldest African to do so (after Roger Milla in 1990) .

Curaçao's World Cup Debut

Curaçao made their first-ever FIFA World Cup appearance in 2026. They lost their opener 7–1 to Germany, earned a creditable 0–0 draw against Ecuador, and exited the tournament with this 2–0 defeat to Côte d'Ivoire . They faced 30 shots on target across their three matches, the most by any team in a single group stage since North Korea in 2010 .

Group E Standings and Knockout Path

Germany had already secured first place in Group E before the final matchday . Côte d'Ivoire's win lifted them to six points, securing second place in the group as runners-up . As a result, they qualified for the Round of 32, where they were scheduled to face a Group I runner-up in Arlington, Texas (Dallas area) on June 30 .

Post-Match Reactions

Nicolas Pépé said: "It's a source of pride and joy… My two goals? It's all thanks to the team. On the first one, Yan [Diomande] did a great job setting me up. The second was a magnificent pass from Ibrahim [Sangaré], and all I had to do was get my foot on it… We're going to try to go as far as possible, we have the players and the quality to do it."

Head coach Emerse Faé said: "Pride is the first word that comes to mind. We knew we could do it, and we also knew it was going to be difficult. We did it… We're looking even further ahead. Ivory Coast deserves this… They can keep cheering us on so we can go as far as possible." Faé also expressed confidence that his side could cause an upset against whoever they face in the knockout round .