Philadelphia, June 26 (IANS) Ivory Coast head coach Emerse Fae described his team’s first-ever qualification for the FIFA World Cup knockouts as a historic moment for Ivorian football and admitted that there was still room for improvement.

Nicolas Pepe scored a dynamic double as Ivory Coast secured their place in the knockout stages for the first time after previous group-stage exits in 2006, 2010 and 2014 with a comfortable victory over Curacao, whose FIFA World Cup debut ended on a disappointing note.

“I hope everyone enjoys this qualification and celebrates it properly,” Fae was quoted by Xinhua. “Then keep sending us your support and positive energy so that we can go as far as possible in this competition. Not everything was perfect, but we won 2-0 without conceding. That’s important for our confidence heading into the knockout stage,” he added.

Meanwhile, Pepe credited teamwork after scoring twice to help Cote d’Ivoire defeat Curacao 2-0 on Thursday, sending the Elephants into the FIFA World Cup knockout stage for the first time.

“There is a lot of joy and pride,” Pepe said. “It’s the first time in our history that we’ve reached the knockout stage. But this achievement belongs to everyone – the players, the coaching staff and everyone around the team.”

Pepe, whose two goals came after Cote d’Ivoire failed to convert a number of chances in its defeat to Germany, said the team had learned from that setback. “We created a lot of opportunities against Germany but didn’t score. We worked on that, and today we were more clinical.”

The 31-year-old also rejected suggestions that the victory was an individual achievement. “I scored, but my teammates created those chances for me. This is a collective success.”

Fae echoed that message, attributing the team’s progress to the unity inside the squad. “This is a young team, and for almost all of these players it is their first World Cup,” he said. They are talented, but above all they are united. Even players competing for the same position enjoy being together. That healthy competition helps everyone improve.”

The coach also praised Pepe’s return to the national team after the forward missed last year’s Africa Cup of Nations triumph. “We always kept in touch with Nicolas,” Fae said. “We always believed he could help us, and today we’re seeing the Nicolas Pepe we always wanted.”

Ivory Coast will face either France or Norway in the round of 32, but neither Pepe nor Fae was interested in discussing preferred opponents.

“If you want to go all the way, you have to be ready to face anyone,” Pepe said. “There is no point calculating which opponent would be easier,” Fae added. “The important thing is to prepare well, believe in ourselves and try to win whoever we play.”

–IANS

bc/