The Elephants of Côte d’Ivoire are through to the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup for the first time after a 2-0 victory over Curacao in their final Group E match on Thursday.

Going into the match at Philadelphia Stadium, Côte d’Ivoire needed only a draw to secure a place in the round of 32, but a brace from Nicolas Pepe sealed all three points for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations champions.

With the victory, Côte d’Ivoire finished second in Group E with six points, level on points with group winners Germany. They join Morocco and South Africa as the three African countries to have qualified for the knockout stage so far.

The result meant Curacao, the smallest nation to feature at the World Cup, was officially eliminated from the tournament.

Meanwhile, Ecuador defeated already-qualified Germany 2-1 in the other Group E match to advance to the round of 32 as one of the eight best third-placed teams.

Leroy Sane gave Germany the lead two minutes into the game, but Nilson Angulo equalised for Ecuador seven minutes later.

Gonzalo Plata scored the winner in the 77th minute, sending thousands of Ecuadorian fans in the stands into a frenzy.