Ivory Coast advance as Pepe scores twice to send Curacao home
PHILADELPHIA, June 25 : Nicolas Pepe’s double sealed Ivory Coast’s first trip to the World Cup elimination rounds with a 2-0 victory over Curacao on Thursday to finish second in Group E.
France Sport News
Pepe steers Ivory Coast into World Cup last 32 as Curacao go home
PHILADELPHIA: Nicolas Pepe scored twice as Ivory Coast beat Curacao 2-0 on Thursday to reach the World Cup knockout rounds for the first time ever and bring the tiny Caribbean country’s run at the tournament to an end. Former Arsenal forward Pepe, now playing in Spain for Villarreal, opened the scoring for the Elephants after just seven minutes in Philadelphia and netted again just after the hour mark. Ivory Coast finish with six points in Group E with this victory following their opening 1-0 win over Ecuador and a 2-1 loss to Germany. They therefore go through in second place behind Germany on head-to-head — the Germans lost 2-1 to Ecuador in New Jersey at the same time. The 2024 African champions had never previously got out of their group in three previous appearances at the World Cup, and their reward for this historic performance is a last-32 tie next Tuesday in Dallas. That will be against the runners-up in Group I, which means a very tough test against either France — the country where Pepe and several other Ivorian players were born — or Norway. Curacao, with its population of barely 160,000, had already made history just by being at the World Cup, but the smallest nation ever to reach the finals go home after finishing bottom of the section without a win. Dick Advocaat’s team were thrashed 7-1 by Germany on their tournament debut, but the high point came in their next game as they withstood a barrage to hold Ecuador to a 0-0 draw. They couldn’t repeat that performance here, but still did their fans proud in a game watched by a sell-out crowd of 68,324 at Lincoln Financial Field — such an attendance on a Thursday afternoon is proof that the World Cup has definitely made its mark on the United States. Orange
Ivory Coast advance to World Cup last 32 as Pepe scores twice to send Curacao home
PHILADELPHIA: Nicolas Pepe’s double sealed Ivory Coast’s first trip to the World Cup knockout phase with a 2-0 victory over Curacao on Thursday (Jun 25) to finish second in Group E.
Iraq looking to make history against Senegal, says coach Arnold
(makes clear in paragraph one that Iraq have all but been eliminated)
France want group top spot to avoid travel disruption, Stephan says
BOSTON, June 25 : France will be aiming to secure top spot in their World Cup Group I on Friday when they take on equally in-form Norway to avoid having to travel far from their base in Boston for their next matches, assistant coach Guy Stephan said.
Norway steer steady grassroots course to World Cup success
June 24 : Norway are riding the crest of a wave having made the knockout stage on their return to the World Cup after 28 years and for Norwegian Football Federation chief Lise Klaveness their success confirms their holistic approach to the game is paying off.
Iraq match is like a final, Senegal coach says
TORONTO, June 25 : Senegal will approach their game against Iraq on Friday like a final to get the win, coach Pape Bouna Thiaw said, as the West African side try to keep their World Cup campaign alive.
Tunisia’s short-lived World Cup experience lays bare deep dysfunctions
TUNIS: Tunisia’s humiliating exit from the 2026 World Cup after two heavy losses against Sweden and Japan delt a blow to Eagles of Carthage fans, who say it laid bare years of dysfunction within the football federation. The team, which had made history in 1978 by becoming the first African nation to win a World Cup match, had hoped for a better tournament this summer. But with nine goals conceded in two games and French head coach Sabri Lamouchi sacked after the first — a 5-1 defeat to Sweden — many Tunisians were faced with a different reality. Beyond player performances, they blame a deeply flawed national sporting system. “The collapse of the national team against Sweden and Japan has lifted the veil on the ‘football mafia’ whose dismantling everyone is demanding today, before starting from scratch and rebuilding our football,” the Arabic-language daily AlChourouk wrote. The French-language newspaper Le Temps argued that Tunisian football “has for many years been undermined by clientelism and inter-club infighting.” That has led to undeserving players being selected for the national team, the newspaper added. Investigative outlet Inkyfada alleged that there was an “unofficial quota policy” that saw some local players called up only “to satisfy major clubs in the domestic league and ensure that each received their share of FIFA compensation.” The Tunisian football federation did not respond to AFP’s requests for comment. Things could get even worse for Tunisia’s chastened players, whose last match on Thursday night is against Group F leaders the Netherlands, before they return home. And back home, the World Cup has not generated great enthusiasm. The team’s early elimination, compounded by their matches kicking off in