Man United’s Amad dazzles as Ivory Coast sweep Curacao aside | OneFootball

Manchester United star Amad enjoyed a solid 45 minutes as the Ivory Coast breezed past Curacao to confirm their place in the next round of the 2026 World Cup.

Important win

After suffering a heartbreaking loss to Germany in their previous outing, the Ivory Coast headed into their final group clash against Curacao on the hunt for a victory.

It took just seven minutes for Nicolas Pepe to make his mark, the former Arsenal man converting a brilliant cross from the electric Yan Diomande.

It was one-way traffic for much of the contest, yet Curacao showed resilience to limit the damage to a single goal. Amad was a persistent menace on the right, with Diomande mirroring that impact on the opposite wing.

But Curacao were powerless to stop Pepe from grabbing his brace just after the hour mark. Pepe got on the end of a sensational through ball from Ibrahima Sangare, which he expertly brought under his spell before curling it home.

Amad was replaced by midfielder Christ Inao Oulai at the break.

Amad’s performance

During the time he was on the pitch, Amad fired three shots at Curacao goalkeeper Eloy Room.

The forward used the ball well, managing to find his teammates with 21 of the 22 passes he attempted (95%) pass accuracy. All the passes that Amad delivered into the opposition half found their intended target.

He recorded 35 touches of the ball and was successful with his sole dribble attempt. Additionally, the United player drew two fouls and registered nine carries.

As is often the case with Amad, he was brilliant defensively. He won both tackles that he put in and contributed twice as many recoveries.

He delved into eight ground duels, coming out on top five times.

(Stats obtained from Sofascore)

It was a highly encouraging 45-minute display from the United man, with his early exit presumably a tactical decision to preserve his energy for the knockout rounds, a stage at which he is almost certain to be indispensable for the Elephants.

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