Ivory Coast made it to the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup for the first time after beating Curacao 2-0 in their last Group E match. Nicolas Pépé scored both goals.
The Elephants started strong at Lincoln Financial Field and went ahead in the seventh minute. Yan Diomande sent a great pass to Pépé, who finished calmly into the bottom corner.
Curacao tried to equalise with efforts from Leandro Bacuna and Sherel Floranus, but Ivory Coast stayed calm and kept control of the game.
Pépé secured the win in the 64th minute, scoring again from Ibrahim Sangaré’s pass to make it clear Ivory Coast would win.
With this win, Ivory Coast finished second in Group E with six points and reached the Round of 32 for the first time in their World Cup history.
