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Ivory Coast (Cote d'Ivoire) President Alassane Ouattara hailed the country's football team as they secured their first-ever knockout qualification in the FIFA World Cup history on Thursday, June 25 (local time), by defeating Curacao 2-0 in their final Group E clash of the 2026 World Cup, at Philadelphia.
In a post on X, President Ouattara hailed the Ivory Coast team on their historic qualification to the World Cup knockout stage and wished them best for the rest of the tournament. "Bravo to our Elephants for this historic qualification to the second round of a FIFA World Cup final phase. Full speed ahead to the round of sixteen," he said in the X post. Coming to the match, a decisive brace from Nicolas Pepe powered Les Elephants to second place in Group E, ending Curacao's spirited debut campaign and sealing a landmark achievement for the African side. Ivory Coast began with intent, controlling possession and pressing high from the outset. Their early dominance paid off in the seventh minute when a fluid move through midfield opened space for Pepe, who reacted quickest to a precise pass and calmly finished past Curacao goalkeeper Eloy Room. Curacao, needing a win to keep their knockout hopes alive, struggled to cope with Ivory Coast's intensity. Despite a few moments of promise, including a long-range attempt from Jurien Gaari, they found it difficult to break through the disciplined Ivorian defence marshalled by Ousmane Diomande and Odilon Kossounou. After the break, Ivory Coast controlled the game's pace, closed down Curacao's attacking options, and dominated the midfield. Their composure proved decisive again in the 64th minute. Pepe combined smartly on the edge of the box before unleashing a powerful strike that flew beyond Room to complete his brace and effectively seal the contest. With the brace, Pepe became just the fifth player to score more than once for Ivory Coast at the men's FIFA World Cup, according to Opta Analyst's X account. From there, Ivory Coast shifted into game management mode, introducing fresh legs to maintain control and shut down any late resistance. Curacao pushed forward in search of a consolation but struggled to create clear openings as frustration crept into their play in the closing stages. The result confirmed Ivory Coast's progression with six points in Group E, finishing behind Germany, who suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Ecuador in the parallel fixture. (ANI)
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