Ivory Coast targets knockout berth against Curaçao as Group E opener stays goalless

Ivory Coast entered Thursday’s World Cup match against Curaçao knowing a win would send it to the knockout stage for the first time in its history. The Elephants opened the tournament with a 1-0 win over Ecuador and then pushed Germany hard before losing 2-1, making them the clear favorites in Philadelphia.

Coach Emerse Faé made several changes, including Gela Doué at right back in place of Wilfried Singo, a tournament debut for center back Ousmane Diomandé, and a first appearance for left back Christopher Opéri. Nicolas Pépé was preferred over Christ Inao Oulaï and returned to the lineup in a more attacking setup.

Curaçao came in after earning a historic point against Ecuador, largely thanks to goalkeeper Eloy Room’s standout performance. Dick Advocaat’s team is chasing an even bigger upset, a win that could make it the lowest-ranked side ever to advance from the group stage at a World Cup, and possibly even finish second if Ecuador loses to Germany at the same time. Jordy Lukoki? No, the match report lists Yordan Lluk? Actually the text says Joruen Lucadia recovered from injury and led the attack, while Kenji Gorré started on the bench.

The match was played at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia and officiated by Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg. The article also listed Group E standings before kickoff, with Germany leading on six points, Ivory Coast second on three, and Ecuador and Curaçao on one point each. The knockout round is scheduled from June 28 to July 3, followed by the round of 16 from July 4 to 7, quarterfinals from July 9 to 11, semifinals on July 14 and 15, the third-place match on July 18, and the final on July 19.