Pepe's brace sends Ivory Coast to World Cup knockout stage

After four attempts and three failures, Ivory Coast crossed a threshold long sought — a place in the World Cup knockout stage. Driven by Nicolas Pepe's two precise goals against Curacao on Thursday, the Ivorians finished second in Group E with six points, earning passage into unfamiliar but deserved territory. It is a moment that speaks to the long arc between potential and fulfillment, between a nation's footballing talent and its ability to realize that talent on the world's largest stage.