By Les Tan/Red Sports
South Africa, Friday, June 25, 2010 — Ivory Coast finally got their first win of the World Cup when they beat North Korea 3-0 but it was not enough to get them into the next round.
A 0-0 draw between Portugal and Brazil in the other Group G game meant the Ivorians finished third in the table.
Ivory Coast not only needed to beat North Korea by a hatful of goals, they also needed Brazil to beat Portugal by a huge margin to have had any hope of qualifying.
Toure Yaya opened the scoring for the Ivory Coast in the 14th minute with a well placed shot from the top of the box that crept inside the post. Six minutes later, it was 2-0. Didier Drogba showed a great touch to pull down a pass but his powerful strike cannoned off the bar. Romaric was first to the rebound and his header found the back of the net.
It could have been 5-0 at half-time if the Ivorians were more accurate and it took them until the 82nd minute in the second half before they finally got their third through Salomon Kalou.
This is the second straight disappointment for the Ivorians. They were knocked out of the World Cup at the first round in 2006 as well.
This will probably be the last World Cup for Didier Drogba who will be 36 in 2014.
For North Korea, they impressed at the start of the tournament by scoring against Brazil in a losing 1-2 effort. However, they fell apart in a 0-7 thrashing at the hands of Portugal in their second game.
The Koreans had their chances in this game, with their best chance coming to Jong Tae Se who was denied in the 81st minute in a one-on-one with the Ivorian goalie.
“I think that the team has been doing very well. It was very difficult to win by seven or eight goals. We were in a difficult group and I think they did well. The players should be proud of themselves,” said Sven Goran Eriksson, the coach of the Ivory Coast.
| Group G | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BRAZIL  | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 7 |
PORTUGAL  | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | +7 | 5 |
IVORY COAST  | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 4 |
NORTH KOREA  | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 12 | -11 | 0 |
For the World Cup fixtures list with Singapore broadcast timings as well as group tables and the list of CCs with free screenings, go to: http://redsports.sg/2010-world-cup-fixtures-groups/
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