{"id":16523,"date":"2026-07-01T03:13:28","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T21:43:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/?p=16523"},"modified":"2026-07-01T03:13:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T21:43:28","slug":"fifa-world-cup-2026-ivory-coast-2-0-curacao-pepes-brace-sends-les-elephants-into-the-knockouts-for-the-first-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/fifa-world-cup-2026-ivory-coast-2-0-curacao-pepes-brace-sends-les-elephants-into-the-knockouts-for-the-first-time\/","title":{"rendered":"FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122 | Ivory Coast 2-0 Cura\u00e7ao: P\u00e9p\u00e9&#8217;s Brace Sends Les \u00c9l\u00e9phants Into the Knockouts for the First Time"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"bsf_rt_marker\"><\/div><p>Nicolas P\u00e9p\u00e9 had not been the name on most lips going into this tournament. At 29, his career had drifted through the kind of middle years that do not produce headlines. But at the Philadelphia Stadium on June 26, 1:30 AM IST, he produced ninety minutes that the Ivory Coast will not forget for a very long time. A brace. A standing ovation. And a place in the Round of 32 for the first time in the Elephants&#8217; World Cup history.<\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_86 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-black ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Page Contents:<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #282fff;color:#282fff\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #282fff;color:#282fff\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/fifa-world-cup-2026-ivory-coast-2-0-curacao-pepes-brace-sends-les-elephants-into-the-knockouts-for-the-first-time\/#Curacao_Start_Bright_Ivory_Coast_Strike_First\" >Cura\u00e7ao Start Bright, Ivory Coast Strike First<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/fifa-world-cup-2026-ivory-coast-2-0-curacao-pepes-brace-sends-les-elephants-into-the-knockouts-for-the-first-time\/#Half-Time_Anxiety_Second-Half_Control\" >Half-Time Anxiety, Second-Half Control<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/fifa-world-cup-2026-ivory-coast-2-0-curacao-pepes-brace-sends-les-elephants-into-the-knockouts-for-the-first-time\/#Pepe_Ends_It_With_Something_Special\" >P\u00e9p\u00e9 Ends It With Something Special<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/fifa-world-cup-2026-ivory-coast-2-0-curacao-pepes-brace-sends-les-elephants-into-the-knockouts-for-the-first-time\/#Curacaos_Final_Moments\" >Cura\u00e7ao&#8217;s Final Moments<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/fifa-world-cup-2026-ivory-coast-2-0-curacao-pepes-brace-sends-les-elephants-into-the-knockouts-for-the-first-time\/#Watch_Ivory_Coast_vs_Curacao_Match_Highlight_Free_Only_On_ZEE5\" >Watch\u00a0 Ivory Coast vs Cura\u00e7ao Match Highlight Free Only On ZEE5.<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><i>Watch Ivory Coast&#8217;s <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\"><i>FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122<\/i><\/a><i> knockout campaign live on <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/myaccount\/subscription?plan-ref=0-11-7467&amp;asset-ref=0-6-4z5914493&amp;visibility=SELECTED&amp;context=FIFA\"><i>ZEE 5\u00a0 FIFA Subscription <\/i><\/a><i>\u2014 stream every match as it happens in India.<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Curacao_Start_Bright_Ivory_Coast_Strike_First\"><\/span><b>Cura\u00e7ao Start Bright, Ivory Coast Strike First<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/curacao\/curacao-squad\">Cura\u00e7ao<\/a> arrived for their final group match determined to leave with something. Tahith Chong \u2014 quick, direct, and causing problems from the first whistle \u2014 unleashed a long-range drive in the opening minute that Yahia Fofana had to deal with smartly. It was a warning that this game would not be straightforward.<\/p>\n<p>Seven minutes later, though, the lead was Ivory Coast&#8217;s. Cura\u00e7ao failed to clear their defensive lines under pressure, and 19-year-old Yan Diomand\u00e9 \u2014 one of the most exciting young players in this Ivorian squad \u2014 was first to react to the loose ball. He could have shot. He squared it instead, unselfishly, rolling the ball into the path of P\u00e9p\u00e9, who finished from close range with the kind of composure that strikers spend careers trying to manufacture.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i>Watch the FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122 live on ZEE 5 \u2014 subscribe from Rs. 799 for three months and catch every knockout match live.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Half-Time_Anxiety_Second-Half_Control\"><\/span><b>Half-Time Anxiety, Second-Half Control<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>P\u00e9p\u00e9 received a yellow card in the 34th minute following a heavy challenge \u2014 a booking that added a layer of tension to the rest of the match. Then, just before the break, Amad Diallo \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/ivory-coast\/ivory-coast-squad\">Ivory Coast<\/a>&#8216;s most dangerous creative presence \u2014 came off with what appeared to be a physical issue and was replaced at half-time by Christ Inao Oula\u00ef. Two concerns heading into the interval, but one goal to the good.<\/p>\n<p>Cura\u00e7ao emerged from the dressing room with intent. Juninho Bacuna and Leandro Bacuna pushed the ball forward, built dangerous sequences between them, and repeatedly tested the Ivorian defensive line. But the block held. Ivory Coast&#8217;s organisation at the back did not crack. The equaliser that Cura\u00e7ao needed never came.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Pepe_Ends_It_With_Something_Special\"><\/span><b>P\u00e9p\u00e9 Ends It With Something Special<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The second goal, in the 64th minute, was worth seeing twice. Ibrahim Sangar\u00e9 threaded a perfectly weighted through ball into the channel \u2014 precise, unhurried, splitting the Cura\u00e7ao defensive line cleanly. P\u00e9p\u00e9 timed his run to beat the offside trap and, with goalkeeper Eloy Room coming to narrow the angle, curled a left-footed strike into the top corner. Brilliant.<\/p>\n<p>Three minutes later, the job done, P\u00e9p\u00e9 was substituted off and replaced by Elye Wahi. The Philadelphia Stadium gave him a standing ovation. He deserved every second of it.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Curacaos_Final_Moments\"><\/span><b>Cura\u00e7ao&#8217;s Final Moments<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Cura\u00e7ao did not stop. In the 78th minute, Leandro Bacuna delivered from a set-piece, and Juninho Bacuna met it with a header at the far post \u2014 it sailed over the crossbar. One last chance. No consolation. The final whistle confirmed Cura\u00e7ao&#8217;s group stage exit from their debut World Cup, a tournament they navigated with spirit and no small degree of quality.<\/p>\n<p>They leave with their heads up. Ivory Coast leave for the knockouts. For the first time.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Watch_Ivory_Coast_vs_Curacao_Match_Highlight_Free_Only_On_ZEE5\"><\/span><strong>Watch\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/match-clips\/0-6-4z5974253\/ecu-vs-ger-quickfire-highlights-fifa-world-cup-2026\/0-1-6z5990783?utm_source=GoogleOneBox&amp;utm_medium=GoogleSearch&amp;utm_campaign=OneBox_quick_fire_highlight\">Ivory Coast vs Cura\u00e7ao Match Highlight<\/a> Free Only On ZEE5.<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i>Watch Ivory Coast in the FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122 Round of 32, live on ZEE 5 \u2014 every knockout match streamed live in India.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>Disclaimer: Subscription pack prices are subject to change from time to time. Please visit the subscription page for the most up-to-date pricing information.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nicolas P\u00e9p\u00e9 had not been the name on most lips going into this tournament. At 29, his career had drifted through the kind of middle years that do not produce headlines. But at the Philadelphia Stadium on June 26, 1:30 AM IST, he produced ninety minutes that the Ivory Coast will not forget for a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":14976,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3019],"tags":[3031,3385],"class_list":["post-16523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fifa-world-cup-2026","tag-fifa-world-cup-2026","tag-ivory-coast-vs-curacao-match-report"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1132x400-4.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Sourav K","author_link":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/author\/sourav-k\/"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122 | Ivory 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