Philadelphia, June 26 -- After his side's historic qualification to the Round of 32 in the FIFA World Cup, Ivory Coast star striker Nicolas Pepe hailed his historic brace as a "reward for his hard work", exclaiming "he has what it takes".

In his side's 2-0 win over Curacao on Thursday which landed Ivory Coast their historic round of 32 qualification, Pepe registered his name in the scoreline twice, becoming the second player from his country to bag a brace on the grandest stage, after Aruna Dindane in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

"I know I have got what it takes. This is the reward for all my hard work, and I hope it will continue in the upcoming matches too," Pepe said after the match, according to FIFA.

He also lauded his teammates for t...