Ivory Coast World Cup Knockout Progress: Fae's Side Eye Deep Run After Curacao Win

Ivory Coast reached the World Cup knockout rounds for the first time, defeating Curacao 2-0 at Philadelphia Stadium to secure second place in Group E, as Nicolas Pepe scored in each half and Emerse Fae immediately set ambitions on a long run in the tournament.

Fae’s team now prepare for a last‑32 tie against the runners-up from Group I, a spot that will be decided between Erling Haaland’s Norway and two-time champions France, with the match scheduled for Arlington and Ivory Coast determined to challenge higher-ranked opposition.

Fae underlined both satisfaction and fresh targets after full time, stressing that the group had always believed qualification was possible despite the difficulty of their section, and that Ivory Coast should now use this achievement as a platform for further progress in the coming rounds.

"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," Fae said. "On top of that, we finished second. We're happy and proud, but we're looking even further ahead. We're going to rest up well for our next match. Ivory Coast deserves this, can enjoy it, and can celebrate tonight. They can keep cheering us on so we can go as far as possible."

Ivory Coast had never before won more than one match at a single World Cup, yet this campaign brought multiple victories and another notable landmark, as the team became only the second African side, after Nigeria in 1994, to open the scoring in all three group fixtures at the tournament.

Pepe’s early strike against Curacao arrived in the seventh minute, following sharp work on the right from Yan Diomande, while the second goal came on 64 minutes when the Villarreal forward cut inside and curled home, confirming qualification and capping another confident attacking display from Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast World Cup records for Pepe

The two goals moved Pepe into select company among Ivory Coast players at World Cup finals, with the 31‑year‑old becoming only the second from the country to hit at least two goals in a single match, matching Aruna Dindane’s brace against Serbia at the 2006 tournament in Germany.

At 31 years and 27 days, Pepe also entered the record books at continental level, standing now as the second-oldest African player to score twice in a World Cup game, a list led by Cameroon’s Roger Milla, who was 38 years and 34 days when scoring a brace against Colombia in 1990.

"It's a source of pride and joy," the forward added."We've qualified for the knockout stage, so for the people of Ivory Coast, this is a source of pride. My two goals? It's all thanks to the team. On the first one, Yan [Diomande] did a great job setting me up with the ball. The second was a magnificent pass from Ibrahim[Sangare], and all I had to do was get my foot on it. It's an individual honour, but also a team one. It's one game at a time. We're going to try to go as far as possible, we have the players and the quality to do it. We'll need to stay focused, rest up, and see who we'll be playing against."

Ivory Coast World Cup match and Curacao stats

The match in Philadelphia also closed a historic first World Cup appearance for Curacao, whose campaign started with a 7-1 defeat against Germany, improved with a resilient goalless draw versus Ecuador, yet ended with this loss that denied the lowest-ranked qualifiers a place in the knockout phase.

Across matches against Germany, Ecuador and Ivory Coast, Curacao faced 30 shots on target, which was the highest total for any team in a World Cup group stage since North Korea allowed 31 efforts on target in 2010, highlighting the pressure faced by the debutants throughout the tournament.

Ivory Coast World Cup context for Curacao

Despite elimination, Dick Advocaat highlighted how Curacao gained respect during the World Cup, pointing to long spells of organised defending and energetic counter-attacks against stronger opponents, while also noting that the squad, drawn from a wide diaspora, is still developing at this level.

"I've lived through such tournaments before, so I knew what to expect by and large," he said. "But still, this team has really exceeded, excelled. The way they played against Germany, Ecuador andIvory Coast. These are world-level teams. We should bear this in mind. And they've been playing full of enthusiasm. It was a lot of guts. That was really important. And this is something that we have to benefit from by turning even better, by trying to see whether we can find some more players willing to play for Curacao."

Ivory Coast now carry strong momentum and several new records into the last 32, with Fae speaking of pride, Pepe contributing decisive goals and Curacao exiting with credit after a challenging group, leaving the focus on how far Ivory Coast can extend this breakthrough World Cup campaign.