Nicolas Pépé has set his sights on hitting the back of the net in the knockout rounds after inspiring Côte d’Ivoire to a historic milestone at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Completesports.com reports.
The lethal Villarreal winger scored both goals as the Elephants comfortably defeated Curaçao 2-0 at Philadelphia Stadium on Thursday night to secure their place in the Round of 32.
His clinical brace wrote him straight into the history books as only the second Ivorian player to score twice in a single World Cup match, emulating Aruna Dindane’s iconic performance against Serbia and Montenegro in 2006.
The former Arsenal star also electric-shocked the stadium by finding the net just seven minutes into the game, officially recording Côte d’Ivoire’s fastest-ever goal in tournament history.
Speaking to FIFA.com after his player-of-the-match display, a highly determined Pépé made it clear that he is focused on maintaining this red-hot form as the stakes get higher.
“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,” Pépé stated.
Despite his individual records and targeting more goals, the 31-year-old was quick to pivot from personal glory and credit his teammates for laying both finishes on a silver platter.
“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 [Diomandé]; for the second, Ibra [Sangaré] 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.”
