Ivory Coast (National Football)

The Ivory Coast will face England in the 2017 Toulon Tournament final after they defeated the Czech Republic 2-1 in their semi-final encounter at the Stade Parsemain on Thursday. 

Jean Amani and Jean-Philippe Krasso netted first-half goals either side of Ondrej Novotny's equaliser, but no goals after the interval saw Ivory Coast advance to the Toulon final for just the second time:

🔴FINALS🔴

📅10th June
🏢Aubagne (Stade De Lattre)

3rd place play-off (3 pm) : Scotland-Czech Republic
Final (5:30 pm) : England-Ivory Coast

— Tournoi Maurice Revello (@TournoiMRevello) June 8, 2017

England became the first team to book their spot in the final after beating Scotland 3-0 earlier on Thursday thanks to a Harvey Barnes brace alongside Elliot Embleton's 50th-minute contribution. 

Both semi-finalists came through the group stage unbeaten, each winning two and drawing one in the opening round to reach the final four in France.

What developed at the Stade Parsemain on Thursday was a back-and-forth befitting of such worthy candidates, who engaged in a tug-of-war between two teams looking to prove themselves as the best youths in the world.

Ake Arnaud Loba's ball into the Czech box after three minutes put a serious dampener on the latter's spirits, however, when Amani was on hand to tuck home an early breakthrough for the Ivorians.

Novotny levelled after 22 minutes following a neat passing sequence from the Czechs, and broadcaster Dan O'Hagan hailed a storming first period after Krasso's deflected shot five minutes from the break put Ivory Coast back ahead:

HT Ivory Coast 2-1 Czech Republic. Best game of the tournament so far. Winners face England in the final of @TournoiToulon

— Dan O'Hagan ⚽️🎙️ (@danohagan) June 8, 2017

Unfortunately for spectators, the two teams couldn't keep up such a high tempo in the second half and eased back, although yellow cards for Ivorian Souleymane Diaby and Czech defender Daniel Marecek kept things interesting.

Both outfits enjoyed ventures inside their opponent's final third, but the Ivory Coast—and particularly goalkeeper El Hadj Moustapha Dante—were successful in rejecting any and all approaches made by the enemy.

The Ivory Coast's only other visit to the Toulon Tournament final came in 2010, when they won the competition, and they'll have the opportunity to maintain that 100 per cent record against England on Saturday.

The Three Lions have conceded only twice en route to the Toulon decider, keeping two clean sheets from four matches, while the Ivory Coast have leaked four goals in their last four outings but will hope their attack can overpower their final foes.

Wilfried Zaha showed England what they're missing on Friday with a wonderful solo goal during Ivory Coast's 2-0 win over Russia.

Picking the ball up just outside the box, the forward danced his way around three defenders before smashing a clinical finish high into the roof of the net.

The Crystal Palace star opted to represent the country of his birth over England in December, and the Three Lions might just start to rue their loss if he keeps producing moments like this on the international stage.

[dailymotion]

Gervinho didn't take a penalty in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations final, but the Ivory Coast star's reaction to the drama became a meme nonetheless.

Coach- why are you sat down Gervinho - My legs are tired Coach-Ok Gervinho- i hope this doesn't become a meme pic.twitter.com/D2kMBxOXk5

— Olajide Bourbon (@BiblicalShart) February 8, 2015

The Ivorian could not watch after he was substituted in the final minute of extra time, and after Ivory Coast slipped 2-0 down after two rounds of spot-kicks, it was easy to see why.

But the team somehow came back to triumph over Ghana 9-8 to win the tournament, and Gervinho was immortalised by Photoshoppers:

wow i didn't know Gervinho was the new judge on The X Factor pic.twitter.com/xsipafp4yd

— Olajide Bourbon (@BiblicalShart) February 8, 2015

Et il a finis Gervinho j'étais mort 😂😂😂😂😂👏 pic.twitter.com/U7NuDV9n0q

— ⭐Yanga Yanga ⭐ (@L_Camrooney) February 9, 2015

"@PassionFootClub: Gervinho premier homme à s'être assis sur la lune ? pic.twitter.com/uw2G0QoMVB"😂😂😂

— Merci aux Éléphants (@MANU_YKR) February 9, 2015

😂😂😂"@Kim_Baako_P3: “@OleleSalvador: HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA Gervinho man!😂😂😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/fF3fk5rMxu”"

— Wasalu (@iamkwame_) February 9, 2015

Gervinho stars in The Godfather pic.twitter.com/nesp29nh94

— EFC Africa (@EFCAFRlCA) February 8, 2015

The War is won by House Gervinho! @GervinhOfficial Congrats to Ivory Coast for winning #AFCON2015FINAL #VivaAfrica pic.twitter.com/HFbqFWKAbM

— Thomas Mbalu (@thomasmbalu) February 8, 2015

[Twitter] 

Boubacar Barry etched his name in Africa Cup of Nations history on Sunday, near single-handedly helping Les Elephants win the tournament for the first time in 23 years. 

Ghana and Ivory Coast played to a 0-0 draw after extra time then went through a grueling 11-round shootout. 

It finished with the 11th kick-takers: the all-exciting goalkeeper vs. goalkeeper battle. 

Barry denied Ghanaian counterpart Razak Brimah.

This is the winning penalty from Côte d'Ivoire keeper Boubacar Barry. http://t.co/4L7IGXj6zv

— World Soccer Shop (@worldsoccershop) February 8, 2015

Then he stepped up to deliver the winning kick himself. 

The drama was all a bit too much for some to handle. 

Barry the save, and the great reaction afterwards #Afcon2015final https://t.co/6nMW3yY9UB

— Andrew Jerell Jones, Luke 1:37 (BlueSky too now) (@sluggahjells) February 8, 2015

Just think, Barry's last claim to fame was when he took a bite of grass to celebrate a goal during the World Cup. 

Gervinho refuses to watch the penalties. pic.twitter.com/Z6Z6pjy2dv

— Squawka (@Squawka) February 8, 2015

[Vine]

At the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday, Herve Renard and his young Ivory Coast side learned that revenge is a dish best served cold.

The Elephants were trounced by Cameroon, 4-1, in the qualifiers in September, but they had the last laugh as they eliminated the Indomitable Lions from the 2015 Afcon following a superb Max Gradel goal.

Since that unhappy defeat in Yaounde, new coach Renard has overseen a steady improvement of an Ivory Coast side that once again failed to escape the group stage at the World Cup. There were some disappointing results during qualification, and the side haven’t always shone at the Afcon, but in beating Cameroon, they may well have given themselves a platform to enjoy a memorable tournament.

The relevance of some of the team’s more experienced campaigners cannot be denied—Kolo, rather than Yaya, Toure has returned to the side and added experience and composure to the heart of defence.

However, it is perhaps some of the new faces, the younger players and unheralded stars who are primarily responsible for the Ivorians’ success.

Max Gradel is a fine example of a player who is truly coming into his own in Equatorial Guinea.

The former Leeds United man has long been a fringe player for the national side and often struggled to edge into the starting XI ahead of the likes of Gervinho and Salomon Kalou.

He featured in the Elephants’ pre-World Cup friendlies, for example, but he was only trusted in one match by then-coach Sabri Lamouchi.

He has been a key man under Renard, however, starting five of the six qualifiers and scoring goals against Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Who needs Gervinho? Max Gradel scores for Ivory Coast. The Elephants lead 1-0 v Cameroon. Great strike by the ex #LUFC winger. #AFCON2015

— John Bennett (@JohnBennettBBC) January 28, 2015

At the beginning of the Afcon, he wasn’t a starter, but he came on against Mali in the Elephants’ second match to score a vital equaliser.

Against Cameroon, with Gervinho suspended and Kalou on the bench, Gradel joined Wilfried Bony and Seydou Doumbia in the attacking three.

The Saint-Etienne winger was the game’s outstanding individual. He tested and teased Fabrice Ondoa with a number of fine corners and free-kicks and was ultimately the match-winner, firing home after profiting from an error from stand-in right-back Jerome Guihoata.

With Gervinho’s suspension over, it remains to be seen how Renard will configure his team for the quarter-final against Algeria. Gradel is the key reason his side are still alive and kicking in the tournament, and he must surely start against the Desert Foxes.

Renard took a moment in the press conference to praise Junior Tallo, the young SC Bastia striker he has introduced to the team, while young defenders Wilfried Kanon and Eric Bertrand Bailly also deserve great credit for having stepped up to become defensive starters. Serge Aurier, another defender, also shone against Cameroon.

Aurier established himself as Africa’s outstanding full-back during the 2013-14 season and shone at the World Cup, but since moving to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer, he has lost a little of his verve. He hasn’t always been a starter in Ligue 1, and his performances with the national side have suffered as a result.

However, he appeared to be back to his dazzling best against Cameroon, tearing down the right flank, terrorising opposition defenders and almost setting up a goal for Bony in the early stages.

After the match, Renard admitted that he had had to challenge Aurier to improve his performance.

Sometimes, you just have to say the truth, and even when a player is playing for Paris Saint-Germain, you have to tell him. There is video, you have to tell the player to be efficient for the team, because Serge sometimes wants to attack.

Today, he understood very well. He’s intelligent, important for the group.

Giving Gradel the confidence and the opportunity to be one of the Ivorians’ key men has ultimately seen the Ivory Coast through to the last eight, but Renard’s masterstroke might actually be rejuvenating Aurier and waking that particular sleeping talent.

“When you put a fox behind elephants, they run quicker,” chuckled Renard—whose surname means fox in French—after the match.

And if the Afcon-winning coach can get the best out of Gervinho, Bony and Yaya Toure against Algeria, Ivory Coast will be clear favourites to take the Afcon crown.

All quotes in this piece were gathered by Ed Dove in Malabo

Anyone who still believes in the fallacy of immortality in football ought to take a look at Yaya Toure.

At the end of last season, the Ivorian midfielder was untouchable at Manchester City. He had just scored 20 goals in the Premier League, becoming only the second central midfielder (after Frank Lampard) to hit the 20-goal mark in the EPL era.

His goals had also brought a tangible reward as City claimed only their third-ever English title. Toure, a veteran of Roberto Mancini’s own championship victory of 2012 and the FA Cup win a year earlier, is adored by Citizens fans and, as the last campaign drew to a close, could do no wrong.

However, the summer’s farce has soured the relationship, and has shattered the illusion that all is well at the Etihad.

The behaviour of Toure and his agent doesn’t need to be replayed here; by now everyone’s heard the stories of the birthday, of the brother and of the Bernabeu. Despite assurances, once it became clear that the midfielder would not be leaving the club, that all was well between player and management, there appear to be deeper, underlying problems here.

To say that the midfielder has started this season slowly would be an understatement.

In the Premier League, he has looked at best uncoordinated, at worst disinterested, and his listless, clumsy performances in the heart of midfield have affected City both offensively and defensively.

As Africa Football Shop’s Ivory Coast correspondent John Fernandez pointed out, “Often playing as part of a two-man midfield alongside Fernandinho for Manchester City, Toure’s role dictates that he takes part in both transitions of play—dictating attacks and shielding the defence.

“Is that the kind of quality you’d expect from a 20+ goal-a-season player? Not likely.

“These traits which set him apart from almost any other footballer occupying this planet at the moment.”

Things have reached a nadir, however, following his poor showing against Bayern Munich in City’s opening Champions League fixture.

Group E is a particularly difficult opening pool; not only do City have to contend with Bayern, they also face AS Roma, who put five past CSKA Moscow—not too shabby themselves—on their return to the European Cup.

BBC Sport pundit Phil Neville was one of the first to criticise Toure’s display following the defeat to Bayern, "I thought Yaya Toure was really disappointing. That wasn't the Yaya Toure we've seen in big games over the past three or four years for Manchester City.

“He didn't look happy. He was strolling around the pitch and his body language wasn't right." 

Neville’s former teammate Paul Scholes, writing in his column for The Independent, was next to air his views on Toure’s inadequacies.

Yaya Toure’s lack of defensive work in midfield has become a major problem for them.

The amount of time I saw opponents get in behind him in the game in Munich was quite remarkable. He just did not look interested. Alongside him, Fernandinho is having to do the work of two players defensively and against Bayern that was always going to cause City problems.

Toure certainly didn’t act like a player aware of his struggles and keen to improve following the match with Bayern. He faces a “fan backlash” according to David McDonnell of the Mirror, having been spotted laughing and exchanging pleasantries with former boss Pep Guardiola after the final whistle.

As noted by McDonnell, one City fan had this to say about the midfielder’s post-match enthusiasm compared to his in-game lethargy, "Yaya put more energy into hugging Pep after the game than he did during the game."

After his midweek showing, Toure will be under intense scrutiny to perform over the coming weeks and months. Unless he can achieve something close to the influence he managed last term, Chelsea might storm ahead in this season’s title race.

However, beyond his influence at club level, one could argue that Toure’s malaise may have an even greater effect on the Ivory Coast national side.

The Elephants are entering a particularly delicate period at the moment. Following (another) World Cup disappointment, the Golden Generation are gradually retreating into retirement. Emmanuel Eboue had fallen from grace long before the trip to Brazil, Didier Drogba and record cap holder Didier Zokora have both announced their international retirement, while Kolo Toure was also overlooked from new boss Herve Renard’s first squad.

Previous stalwarts such as Christian Romaric, Igor Lolo and Didier Ya Konan have also drifted away from the international scene.

The departure of those aforementioned names leaves a vacuum both of experience and of quality. Kolo and Zokora both had their frailties, while Drogba is certainly past his prime, but these three (with a combined 335 caps between them) possessed an aura which underpinned the talent across the rest of the side.

With these players having walked away from the fold, and with Renard keen to incorporate younger players like Junior Tallo and Eric Tie Bi, Yaya takes on an even more important role within the side.

No longer is he simply the team’s best player, he is now the senior statesman.

Of the Elephants squad named by Renard for the two recent Cup of Nations qualifiers, Yaya was the most-capped player and the second-oldest outfield player.

One of the new manager’s first acts as Ivory Coast boss was to hand the captain’s armband to the former Barcelona midfielder. Whichever way you look at it, Yaya Toure is now the Elephants’ key man and their emotional heartbeat in this post-Golden Generation era.

If the West Africans are to retain their continental standing and to avoid the kind of descent that other African nations, such as Egypt, have suffered after the passing of one established collection of players, then Toure needs to step up and make his considerable experience and qualities count.

He was, ominously, a shadow of his former self as the Elephants were crushed 4-1 in Yaounde in the recent African Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Certainly, Manchester City may need to change their approach and reinvest in their midfield if Toure fails to rediscover his fine form of last season. For the Ivorians, shorn of their other stars, his decline could have much greater consequences.

For a third consecutive World Cup, the Ivory Coast have fallen at the first hurdle.

Whilst in 2006 and 2010 they were drawn in fiendishly difficult groups, 2014 ought to have been the occasion to break the hoodoo.

When push came to shove, all the Elephants needed to do was avoid defeat against a limited Greece side in Fortaleza. Even this, they couldn’t achieve.

Along with the Ivorians’ summer hopes, the “Golden Generation” tag that has followed a select collection of players for a decade must surely end today. As they proved once again, for all of their magnificent individual qualities and their club-level successes, this feted group of players have never been the sum of their parts when brought together and wrapped in orange.

In the decisive match with Greece, the side’s various failings once again came to the fore. The contest was every failure that this Ivorian team have endured over the years, every missed opportunity, every defeat snatched from the jaws of victory.

In many ways, the final fling in Fortaleza encapsulated many of the Elephants’ flaws.

At club level, Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure in particular have made a habit of rising to the occasion. Toure was influential in bringing not one but two Premier League titles to Manchester City by dragging his team through close clashes and rising above mediocrity to settle a tight match.

Drogba, famously, was almost single-handedly responsible for Chelsea’s sole Champions League win by scoring a late header against Bayern Munich, before netting the winning penalty in the shootout.

To a lesser extent, Gervinho and Salomon Kalou have been known to inspire AS Roma and Lille, respectively, over the past 12 months.

Yet when the Elephants are drawn together, such individual accountability is remarkably rare.

In the last five Cup of Nations tournaments, the Elephants have fallen at the final twice, at the semi-final once and at the quarter-final twice.

In these five decisive matches, none of Drogba, Toure and Gervinho have risen to the occasion and scored a goal.

It was a similar story this summer.

There are caveats, of course.

Drogba is 36, and despite his fine recent international scoring record, he was unable to trouble the Greeks or the Colombians.

Toure underwent an operation at the end of the season and has looked a shadow of his City self. Yaya, and his brother Kolo, also had to endure the death of their younger brother, Ibrahim, earlier this week. I certainly cannot imagine the mental strain that such a tragedy can put upon someone and find it impossible to understand how the pair could have been in a fit frame of mind to star in such a tense match with such great consequences after having experienced such heartache.

The impotency of the side’s key figures against Greece was remarkable. The side were enveloped in a lethargy and an apparent apprehension of attacking a team that, following two early injuries and a limited offensive threat, was there for the taking.

The Elephants have seemingly frozen too often in the past to move forward without the weight of such previous failure. One can almost imagine the self-doubt gnawing away at Gervinho as Greece opened the scoring in the 42nd minute and then went on to strike Boubacar Barry’s woodwork on a number of occasions.

The collective have been so exhaustively battered by past failure and mounting expectations (even if the anticipation has trailed off recently) that on evenings like this, the jitters are certain to creep in.

There is a worrying air of inevitability about the Elephants at any kind of grand occasion, and it has become apparent they lack the characters to put the dismay and regret to one side and reaffirm the self-belief among a talented collection of players.

The squad is populated by a few too many emotional characters. Drogba and Gervinho are two, but during the tournament, Serey Die was also caught in tears during the singing of the national anthem. The midfielder’s display in that game (the second match against Colombia) was laced with error, including the crucial blunder for the Cafeteros’ winning goal, and he was replaced with 20 minutes still to play.

Die’s error was imitated against Greece when his midfield partner Cheick Tiote's momentary lapse led to the opposition goal.

In defence, the likes of Kolo Toure and Didier Zokora, another who has lost a brother tragically, might be “experienced," but as the pair have proven time and time again, experience and dependability are not synonymous.

These two, as well as Sol Bamba and Copa Barry, have been at the heart of another critical problem for the Elephants, and one that again proved fatal.

While the Ivorians’ offensive line boasts talent that would rival almost any other nation on the planet, the defence has grown far too untrustworthy and volatile.

It wasn’t always this way—the Elephants famously went through the 2012 Cup of Nations without conceding a single goal—but it is something that Sabri Lamouchi’s successor will need to address as a matter of urgency.

Bamba and Toure have similar failings, and while Zokora helps to compensate for these when played alongside either man, he lacks presence and is, after all, a 33-year-old converted defensive midfielder.

The Greece match was the 11th consecutive game in which the national side have failed to keep a clean sheet. Even against a forward line as limited as that of Ethniki, they looked jittery and uncertain. It is a desperate record, but unfortunately, unlike Cameroon for example, there isn’t immediate evidence of green shoots emerging in the centre or in goal.

What makes the defeat to Greece and the inability to advance from Group C all the more bitter is the fact that Costa Rica lie in wait.

The Central Americans must not be underestimated, and indeed, they will provide a stern test for whoever they meet in the last 16, but they would at least have represented beatable opposition to the psychologically fragile Ivorians.

The prospect of becoming Africa’s fourth-ever representatives in the quarter-finals was a very tangible reality.

It is one that will, however, remain a dream...eternally so for several members of the celebrated collective. Drogba won’t be back at the high table, nor will Kolo Toure or Zokora. Boubacar Barry and Arthur Boka, both with 83 caps, are also likely to be heading toward the end of their international careers.

Whoever takes the hot seat will be charged with more than just replacing these players. They will need to rebuild the confidence of those who remain and to reassure the shattered confidence of a whole collective.

As the prospect of World Cup glory becomes an unfulfilled dream for the Golden Generation, so the Golden Generation must become a faded, forgotten memory for the Elephants moving forward.

Updates from Saturday, June 21

The Manchester Evening News has the latest on the Toure brothers:

Yaya and Kolo Toure have decided to stay with the Ivory Coast squad in Brazil following the death of their brother, a team spokesman has confirmed.

Ibrahim Toure, a 28-year-old player with the Lebanon-based Al Safa, died in Manchester on Thursday. He had been suffering from cancer.

Reports had claimed the brothers would leave Brazil to be with their family, but a team spokesman said that they would remain at the World Cup.

A spokesman for the Ivorian Football Federation told Press Association Sport: "The Toure brothers, Kolo and Yaya, have decided to stay with the team. They are not leaving Brazil."

Kolo Toure thanked fans for their support on his official Twitter feed.

Original Text

The Ivory Coast Football Association has confirmed that Yaya and Kolo Toure have suffered the death of their brother Ibrahim, who died in Manchester on Thursday.

The Ivorian FA issued a statement in regards to the news of his passing, offering support to the Toure family.

The statement read, per Harry Sherlock of Goal.com:

Kolo and Yaya Toure just heard about the death of their young brother, Toure Oyala Ibrahim. The entire Ivorian delegation want to show their support to the players.

The football Ivory Coast federation president (FIF) and the Executive Committee announced to the entire family of Ivorian football the death of Toure Oyala Ibrahim, the younger brother of Toure Kolo Abib and Toure Yaya Gnegneri, which happened on the 19th of June in Manchester (England).

In such a sad situation, the players from the Ivory Coast national team, and the entire delegation here in Brazil, show their support to the Toure brothers and their whole family. The president of Football Ivory Coast Federation and the Executive Committee ask Ivorians for their prayers.

Ibrahim Toure was also a professional footballer. The 28-year-old had played for Egypt's Misr El-Maqasah and Lebanese side Al Safa as a striker. 

Toure also played in Ukraine, Syria and France but never represented Ivory Coast during his career. 

Condolences for the Toure family have already begun, with TalkSport's Ian Abrahams and Liverpool responding to the news of the death.

They tweeted:

Both Yaya and Kolo Toure are currently representing the Ivory Coast at the World Cup. Yaya featured for the whole 90 minutes of his nation's first match of the competition, ending in a 2-1 victory for his team over Japan.

They then fell to a defeat on Thursday as they were beaten by a much fancied Colombia in Brasilia, losing the game 2-1. News of Ibrahim's death came just a few hours later.

Kolo Toure was an unused substitute for both matches.

The two results leave Ivory Coast in second place in Group C with their final match of the stage coming against Greece on June 24.

However, with this tragic news, all thoughts are currently with the Toure family. 

Against Colombia, the Ivory Coast showed both their best and worst qualities.

Ahead of Group C's later game between Japan and Greece, the Elephants remain in a good position to claim their first-ever spot in the last 16, but there remains work to be done.

It's also concerning that familiar frailties remain.

Colombia posed a much greater threat to the Ivorians than Japan did and, similarly, than Greece will. The Elephants may have lost following goals from Juan Quintero and James Rodriguez, but they can look confidently towards the future.

The Colombia contest presented a fairly clear situation—and there have been a few of them concerning Africa's sides this summer—of one side's weaknesses coinciding with another team's strengths, and vice versa.

Beginning with weaknesses, the Elephants' defence doesn't look good on paper and, in reality, is arguably worse.

Arthur Boka and Serge Aurier are both fine full-backs, but alongside them, the defensive triangle of Didier Zokora, Sol Bamba and Copa Barry continues to be wholly unconvincing. Zokora is an ageing, converted central midfielder while Bamba is an ungainly stopper who struggles with balls in behind and when facing speedy, mobile attackers.

The pair were exposed time and time again by the Colombian forward line, replete with their fast and creative players. Juan Cuadrado, Pablo Armero, Juan Zuniga and Victor Ibarbo offered pace and forward motion. Teofilo Gutierrez dropped deep and disorientated Bamba while Rodriguez was an elusive and influential creator who sought to expose the space in and around the defensive duo.

While those players listed created problems all day, both of Colombia's goals actually came from set pieces. The first, their own, continued a concerning trend of an inability of African teams to defend from corners this summer, as James ghosted in to send a terrific header past Copa.

The second goal came after a dismal Aurier corner at the other end. The Toulouse man's cross didn't beat the first man, and after nicking the ball off Serey Die, the Colombian forwards demonstrated all of their pace and power on the counter-attack.

While Greece will also pose a threat from set pieces, they are unlikely to have the dynamism and the vitality to trouble the Elephants on the break. The duo of Bamba and Kolo Toure (who will replace the suspended Zokora) is incredibly one-dimensional but should be well-suited to deal with Greece's threats.

Another concern comes in the increasingly anonymous performances of Yaya Toure.

The attacking midfielder is coming off one of the finest seasons of his career—if not the finest—but has thus far been unable to impose himself for the Elephants. Having undergone surgery between the season's end and the beginning of the tournament, it's understandable that he is not fit, but thus far he has played the 90 minutes in both of the Ivorians' games to date, and there doesn't appear to be any kind of Plan B to supplement his tiring legs.

Unless something changes, Yaya will continue to be the side's white elephant in the room.

Late on, however, the Cote d'Ivoire began to show what they were capable of, and here we come onto their strengths.

They began to demonstrate the fact that even without Toure, they have offensive weapons the likes of which other nations would be envious.

For a second match, Wilfried Bony started, although he was arguably even more impotent against Colombia than he was in the opening hour against Japan, dropping increasingly deeper and having negligible impact in the opposition box.

By contrast, Didier Drogba again entered the fray to just change the complexion of the Ivorian approach. With him leading the line, Gervinho and Salomon Kalou suddenly had a reference point, and the whole side began to position themselves around the towering forward.

Drogba, for his part, just carries an aura and a sense of purpose that can be lacking when he is absent. Whether it be a valuable defensive header only seconds after coming on or a moment of sublime hold-up play on the outside of the opposition area, his measurable contribution is fantastic.

His intangible contribution may be even greater.

I'm not necessarily advocating that Drogba starts against Greece; manager Sabri Lamouchi has been brave, bold and progressive so far, and I don't want to discourage that, but the former Chelsea man remains an emphatic option from the bench.

As he demonstrated with a late, scintillating goal, Gervinho is in the form of his life. That makes three goals in three now for the dreadlocked forward, and coming off the back of a terrific season with AS Roma, he can fairly be considered among the world's most dangerous forwards at this point in time. He will look to torment the Greeks and might enjoy some space behind Vasilis Torosidis.

Finally, the superlatives keep on rolling in for Aurier.

The full-back's average position on the pitch was incredibly high, indicating both the freedom afforded him by Lamouchi and the defender's desire to charge forward and influence proceedings in the final third.

Aurier's crossing, while frequent, was not particularly successful (he only managed one successful cross out of 12), but his individual battles were almost all won. He made five successful take-ons (out of six), completed a 100 percent tackle success rate and also won 100 percent of his aerial duels.

Here is a player destined for great things who is enjoying a fine tournament and revelling in the responsibility afforded him with the national side.

Few teams will face the kind of threat that Aurier (alongside Salomon Kalou or Max Gradel on the right) offers, and the right-back remains one of the Elephants' key offensive weapons. Greek left-back Jose Holebas also likes to plough forward, so expect Aurier to influence the proceedings once again on Tuesday.

Defeat to Colombia may have come as a reality check to the Golden Generation and their starry ambitions. It may just be the jolt they need to concentrate upon and refine their myriad of offensive weapons ahead of the crunch match against Greece.

Stats via FourFourTwo StatsZone