At Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, at three minutes before six in the evening, Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg blew the final whistle. The players of Curaçao fell on the field, they tried their best for their island, fought for every inch, but the Ivory Coast were too strong. The African team is physically strong, fast and good on the ball. Ivory Coast recently defeated France in a friendly and their performance against Germany was also impressive. Such a surprise was what Curaçao wanted, but the quality gap was too great. The Eritreans tried their best, but in the end a 2-0 victory for the Ivory Coast was assured. It was the end of a great football journey. The journey began on a November night in Kingston, Jamaica, when Curaçao remarkably qualified for the World Cup. The Caribbean island had been eyeing the World Cup for months. They were surprised by the opportunity to participate on the World Cup stage, which has become more evident in the last few weeks.
