First-ever meeting, two long roads back. Norway ended a 28-year World Cup absence with a perfect qualifying campaign; Ivory Coast reached a first knockout stage without conceding once in qualifying. Inside the records, the form, and the six players carrying the value.
History belonged to the Elephants. Ivory Coast beat Curacao 2-0 at Lincoln Financial Field on Wednesday to reach the knockout stage of a men's World Cup for the first time in their history, a milestone built on a two-goal masterclass from Nicolas Pepe. The result confirmed Ivory Coast as runners-up in Group E on six points and ended the remarkable debut journey of Curacao, the smallest nation ever to grace the tournament.
Germany dismantled Curacao 7-1, Ivory Coast ground out a 1-0 win over Ecuador. Wirtz and Musiala against a disciplined Ivorian counter headlines a top-of-the-group clash.
