I stopped by the Guggenheim in Manhattan yesterday and stood before a Kandinsky — all bold forms and hidden intentions — which is precisely how Franck Kessié plays his football, arriving late into spaces that didn't exist a second before. Ivory Coast's midfield engine should simply overpower a Curacao side that will defend with admirable heart but lack the collective quality to contain wave after wave of West African creativity. Eloy Room will be busy between the posts, and if he keeps it respectable until the hour, Curacao deserve applause — but one moment of Kessié's relentless forward surge should settle this with quiet inevitability.

Ivory Coast's midfield engine, anchored by the relentless Franck Kessié, simply overwhelms Curacao's central structure — Juninho Bacuna and company will spend most of this match chasing shadows rather than building anything meaningful going forward. The Elephants generate more than double the attacking threat, and with Ousmane Diomandé marshalling the backline with that sweeper authority, even Curacao's best counter-attacking moments get suffocated before they breathe. Eloy Room will need a career-defining shift in goal to keep this competitive, and I think he gives it everything — but one quality Ivorian breakthrough proves decisive. East Rutherford is a long way from the savannah, but I did attempt a New Jersey crumb bun this week — a beautiful layered thing, and honestly, I think I nearly mastered it.