Former Germany player Bastian Schweinsteiger said Friday he was talking about Ivory Coast’s style and not its players when he spoke last weekend about what his country's national team could expect from its African opponent during their group match.

Led by manager Emerse Fae, Les Elephants made history in Philadelphia by reaching the knockout stage for the first time behind a perfect blend of youth and veteran experience

All four teams of Group E are still in the race for a spot in the World Cup's round of 32. While Germany have already clinched a place in the next round after winning the two opening games of the group,

Two dense blocks, one of orange, and one of dark blue, broke up the kaleidoscope of color in the stands at Philadelphia Stadium on Thursday. Fans came bearing jerseys and flags from basically any national team you could think of – everything from France and England to Honduras and Anguilla.

Nicolas Pepe rolled back the years with a magnificent individual performance to fire Ivory Coast into the World Cup knockout stage. The experienced attacker netted a historic brace against Curacao to ensure the Elephants progressed beyond the tournament's group stage for the first time in their footballing history.

Healthy competition ⁠for places is fuelling the Ivory Coast's World Cup progress as they ⁠advance past the first round for the first time and await a ‌high-profile clash against France or Norway in the last 32.