Former Arsenal star Nicolas Pepe scored a brace in the Ivory Coast’s 2-0 victory over Curacao in a World Cup final group game.
Pepe’s heroic performance helped the former African champions advance to the knockout stage. The forward also became the second player from his country to score twice in a World Cup match after Aruna Dindane, who bagged a brace in a 3-2 win over Serbia and Montenegro in 2006. The Villarreal star also scored his country’s fastest-ever goal in the tournament with just seven minutes of the game.
Pepe was named Player of the Match, and after the match, he credited teamwork for his two goals.
“I know I’ve got what it takes. This is the reward for all my hard work, and I hope it will continue in the upcoming matches too,” Pepe told the media.
“My brace was down to the team as well. For the first goal, I just had to tap the ball in after some brilliant work from Yan [Diomande]; for the second, Ibra [Sangare] played a superb ball, and all I had to do was stay focused and score. I’d like to dedicate this trophy to the lads.”
Pepe earns coach’s praise
Ivory Coast’s head coach Emerse Fae stated that the forward is one of the players the team relies on for good performance going forward.
“Nico knows it, and so do we: he’s a top-class player. He’s one of the players who need to help us win matches in these competitions. He has the ability and the experience to do so. Today, he scored two brilliant goals. It’s good for the team, and it’s good for him too,” Fae said.
Pepe was also praised by his teammate Christ Inao Oulai: “Nico, everyone loves him! Together, we’re writing a new chapter in our country’s football story, and we’re truly proud to be joining the big boys,” the youngster said.
