Ivory Coast (National Football)

With a little more than 14 minutes remaining in the second leg of the premier tie of the final round of qualifying for the African Cup of Nations, all seemed lost for Senegal against the Ivory Coast.

After a thrilling 4-2 victory in their home first leg, the Ivorians pulled away through a Didier Drogba brace during the first 71 minutes of Saturday's match in Senegal.

As Drogba stepped up to the penalty spot for his second, a fan ran onto the field before being subdued by security. Little did anyone know that this was just the start of the violence.

The impact of Drogba's penalty hitting the back of the net, as the aggregate 6-2 scoreline effectively ended the tie, seemed to ignite fury throughout the crowd. Suddenly, the home fans began starting fires and throwing missiles onto the field, prompting a majority of the Ivorian fans to jump the barricade and rush the pitch in an effort to avoid the violent scenes.

Within five minutes of the penalty, the match was halted and the players and fans escorted from the pitch by police, who were forced to fire tear gas into the crowd.

According to a student interviewed by the BBC:

Food, drinks and anything that could be thrown was being thrown on to the pitch, from all angles.

There were fires started from garbage and they (fans) were tearing the flags down, even their own, which was pretty disturbing.

We felt safer inside the stadium than outside, so we waited inside. When we left it was calming down though there was lots of tear gas.

About an hour after the play was halted, the match was abandoned as violence spilled onto the streets of Dakar.

ITV reports that as many as six people were stretchered from the stadium, while the BBC reports that 10 people, including Senegal's Sports Minister, were injured in the fracas.

Manchester City issued a statement on its website assuring that brothers "Yaya and Kolo (Toure) were both involved in the second-leg clash and early reports suggest the brothers are unharmed."

No such statement was made by other Premier League clubs, but many players taking part in the match ply their trade in England's top flight. Such players include Newcastle's Demba Ba, Cheick Tiote and Papiss Cisse, Arsenal's Gervinho and West Ham's Mohamed Diame.

The African football governing body, CAF, have yet to issue a statement on the match, but the BBC has quoted a Senegalese official that indicated the team would be sanctioned by CAF.

My only hope is that the officials do not see fit to punish the players too harshly for the actions of their fans. However, the scenes were far too ugly to be ignored. In today's footballing world, such scenes cannot and will not be tolerated, as fans and supporters should never have to feel anxious about attending a match.

Let's just hope that none of the injuries sustained were too serious and that these "fans" (a loose usage of the term, seeing as a fan never turns on his own team or fails to respect an opponent's fine display) get the punishments they deserve.

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Against all odds, Zambia won the 2012 African Cup of Nations, beating the Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties, after 120 goalless minutes of action.

The underdogs crowned a captivating story with their victory, when Stophira Sunzu fired home the winning penalty after Arsenal forward Gervinho had missed his spotkick.

Zambia dedicated their win to 18 team members who died in a plane crash in 1993 off the coast of Gabon, not far from the Libreville Stadium where they triumphed Sunday, while en route to a match in Senegal.

Ivory Coast, meanwhile, experienced more heartache, having lost to Egypt in the 2006 final in the same manner. Their fans will dwell upon Didier Drogba’s penalty miss in normal time, as they failed to add to their sole African Nations triumph in 1992.

However, the conclusion, albeit painful for the Elephants, provided a fairytale ending to a gloriously unpredictable tournament.

The final was the usual carnival of colours associated with African football, and the game itself, although goalless, was not without incident.

Missed penalties will dominate the headlines, but it was resolute defending and outstanding goalkeeping that provided the real stories in a match which remained deadlocked until the 15^th penalty in the shootout.

Ivory Coast were heavily favoured before the game; their team sheet rich with English Premier League and European stars, and had not conceded a single goal in the tournament en route to the final, a record that remained intact despite the loss.

Zambia, 71^st in the FIFA rankings when the competition began, defied the odds under their French manager, Hervé Renard, who led them past Senegal and Ghana to their third African Nations final.

With just five members of the squad playing football outside of Africa (three in Asia, and one each in Russia and Switzerland), many felt they had an impossible task against the big Ivorian names, but they turned in another inspired display to keep the favourites at bay for a full 120 minutes.

Zambia were more than a match for their illustrious opponents, and it was the Ivorian 'keeper, Boubacar Barry, who had to make the first meaningful save in the contest, keeping out a well-worked corner, before the underdogs were forced into an early change when their 34-year old defender Joseph Musonda injured his ankle and left the field in tears.

Yaya Toure came closest for Ivory Coast just before half-time, shooting wide of the post following a delightful backheel from Drogba in a first half with little incident.

The second 45 minutes, however, provided much more action, not least when Gervinho was adjudged to have been bundled over in the penalty area just after the hour mark.

On second glance, initial contact may have taken place outside the box, but it was a difficult decision for the referee, who pointed to the spot.

Incredibly, Drogba fired his spotkick well over the crossbar, and Zambia were given a reprieve.

Ivory Coast then introduced Max Gradel to proceedings, and his pace proved a real handful for the Chipolopolo. The former Leeds man also came close to settling the contest in normal time, but his shot trickled wide of the post with just minutes remaining.

The ineffective Yaya Toure was withdrawn, and although Ivory Coast looked the stronger team in extra time, they could not find a way through the staunch Zambian defence.

Zambia’s talisman, Chris Katongo, even had the best chance in extra time, but Barry somehow poked his shot onto the post with a remarkable save, and Ivory Coast survived.

At the other end, Kennedy Mweene was unbeatable, and commanded his area well, relieving a lot of pressure for his side as Ivory Coast increasingly used high balls into the box to try and break the deadlock.

However, following a match dominated by outstanding defending from both sides, the brutal reality of a penalty shootout loomed over the two teams.

The Zambians took up positions on their knees, and sung together as the shootout progressed, believing that fate was on their side, and they thought they had earned an advantage when Mweene saved Sol Bamba’s effort, only for the goalkeeper to be penalised for encroachment, allowing Bamba to score the retake.

Didier Drogba showed nerves of steel to ignore his previous miss with sudden death looming, and Mweene himself ensured the shootout headed past the first 10 attempts with a cool finish of his own.

The charismatic Zambian stopper then kept out Kolo Toure’s weak spotkick, giving Zambia the chance to win, only for Rainford Kabala to blaze his effort over the bar.

They were immediately afforded another chance to win when Gervinho shot high and wide, and this time they made no mistake, with Sunzu scoring the winner to spark wild celebrations in Gabon, and back home in Zambia.

Their vocal manager had previously told his team that “this was their time,” and his support was vindicated as they showed great composure to win their first African Nations title.

Their determination and grit was unquestionable, and their team spirit remained strong to the end, epitomised by the sight of Renard carrying injured defender Musonda down the touchline so he could join his teammates’ celebrations.

The Frenchman told TV cameras after the match that he knew his team were not the best technically, but they were spurred on by their strength and spirit. Few could argue with the man who helped lead his team to such an unlikely success.

For the Ivory Coast, the wait for glory continues, but the older generation of players, including Didier Drogba, might have one final attempt at glory when the tournament takes place in South Africa in 2013.

In 2012, all the glory goes to Zambia, who dedicated their win to those who lost their lives in the tragic 1993 plane crash. The players and coaches will now return to their home country as national heroes, following a proud campaign which could not have been scripted better.

In the most unlikely of stories, Zambia won their first ever African Cup of Nations; their victory taking place in Libreville, Gabon, just a few hundred metres from the site of the 1993 crash.

When the Ivory Coast takes on Zambia in what should be an epic Africa Cup of Nations showdown, fans of great world football should expect a defensive battle.

With both teams fighting for the pride of their nations, there is much more on the line in this tournament than just a trophy.

Where: Stade d'Angondje, Gabon

When: Sunday, February 12, 2:00 p.m. ET

Watch: Al Jazeera USA

More: African Nations Cup

What We’re Watching For

With both teams being built on great defense, I expect to see little scoring and a possible additional time situation at zero all. Ivory Coast has let in no goals this entire tournament and doesn’t look to start now.

The player to watch for on the Ivory Coast side will be Didier Drogba and his insane ability to make plays out of nothing. If there was one person most likely to net the game winner in this game, it would be Drogba.

Zambia will be riding the surprise win off the foot of Emmanuel Mayuka over the heavily favored Ghana team. With a stellar defense and timely scoring, Zambia is nothing to bat an eye at for IC.

My deciding factor in this game will be Gervinho. If Ivory Coast can get the star player going early, they could get an early goal and use their stacked defense to keep Zambia at bay.

Check back for more on World Football as it comes, and check out Bleacher Report’s Soccer Page to get your fill of all things soccer.

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The 2012 Africa Cup of Nations is down to its last two teams. The Ivory Coast and Zambia have survived the winter tournament and will meet on Sunday at 2 p.m. EST in Libreville, Gabon to determine the champion.

African tournaments are a mystical affair, wholly different than anything else we have come to know. Lacking the over-corporatization of European games, they reserve a certain humbleness. Not quite matching the amount of fervor in South America, they can also mean half-full stadiums.

However, where it truly differs is in the context in which the African tournament is played. For the people of the world’s most impoverished continent, sports—and football in particular—represent a sort of common ground. A place where the civil wars waged in many of these militant lands can have both sides in unison backing their players with chants, not arms.

In 2006, the Ivory Coast was in the midst of the First Ivorian Civil War. The brutal affair, which cost nearly double the amount of civilian lives as armed soldiers, had the UN and French military deploying troops to attempt to calm the environment. Instead, the foreigners were looked at as invaders, and the militia rebels of the north only amplified their attacks.

But earlier that year, the football team for the small West African nation qualified for their first ever FIFA World Cup. Led by the indomitable striker Didier Drogba, the Les Éléphants would be heading to Germany in the summer and had asked for a truce between the warring factions so the entire population of 20 million would be behind them as they entered unknown territory.

The Ivorian Federation even went further to continue peace following the tournament, setting up a match in the rebel stronghold of Bouaké. One of the first times the team played in their home country since the World Cup was not to be missed, no matter what side of the fight you were on.

Twenty-five thousand fans packed into Bouaké Stadium as their team crushed Madagascar, 5-0. Rebels who had been burning villages a year earlier were now cheering in unison with their victims, and government troops, who had brutally killed young brainwashed boys unsure of their allegiance, were hoisting them on their shoulders to get a better view.

Football did for the Ivory Coast what politics failed to do—bring peace.

This does not make the Ivorians the only song of perseverance in this match. Zambia is not without its own hardship.

The southeastern nation, lying in the heart of the tropical belt, is one of the most poverty-stricken countries in the world. An incredible 68 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, a position many have been put in by no fault of their own, but rather the decades of unrest that preceded them.

Like much of Africa, the post-colonized world has left Zambia empty, broken and with little resources to build on. An unruly period following the departure of English officials, who had used the land for its mining reserves, gave the nation ties with Soviet regimes and other questionable figures such as Saddam Hussein.

However, Zambia has begun to right centuries of injustice in recent decades as they have found ways to utilize their resources to better effect, capitalizing on the abundance of copper in the region. The GDP has steadily been increasing, and investor confidence is at an all-time high.

But this is not without controversy.

Education rates are still a farce, making an effective democracy impossible. With over 10 percent of the population suffering from AIDS and unable to receive proper healthcare, issues still arise over public safety. And though the copper ore is bringing unprecedented wealth, it is also destroying the fragile ecosystem of the rain forest.

For most, these are not the concerns of daily life. The money coming in is rarely seen by the masses, and the issues that abound are too petty for a population whose main daily concern is having something to eat.

However, in 1993, the nation was divided like never before. Not over politics or social upheaval, but a tragedy involving the game of football.

The 1993 Zambia national team was one of the best the nation had ever seen. As the squad was on its way to play a World Cup qualifier against Senegal, a combination of faulty equipment and human error caused their plane to crash about 500 meters from the shore of Gabon.

The entire team and staff aboard were killed, 30 people altogether. It still stands today as a tragedy that set back a footballing nation on the rise and one of the rare moments where all 12 million people found themselves united together under the same emotion.

Come Monday morning, the issues that surround these nations will still be present. Poverty will be the majority, disease will run rampant, and political uncertainty will cause more issues for the future than solve them for the present.

But on Sunday, for at least those two hours in a small coastal capital whose name is a derivation of “freedom," it will not matter.

The Ivory Coast are the heavy favorites to win, as a generation that has produced great players like Drogba, Gervinho, Kolo Toure and his brother Yaya is finally looking to make an impact on the international level, winning their first ACN title in a decade.

Zambia will go in with few betting dollars on them, but surely the hearts of all the neutrals, attempting to have a phoenix-like rebirth only miles from where much of their nation’s hearts still lies. They hope to make their first-ever trip to the finals a historic one.

Perhaps this article is no better than the colonizers who looked upon the people of Africa as something other. Here I am in my Brooklyn apartment discussing the culture and politics of a nation that I have next to no true knowledge about.

But I do understand sports and how they essentially operate like male dramas. The better the storylines leading up to the games, the more important the games become.

So, while Spain and the Netherlands gave us a great match in 2010, it was the story of crowning a new champion. One who would enter an elite group of nations, gifted with the blessing of footballing talent, resources and tradition.

That game mattered to the people of Spain and the Netherlands because it was an activity—an escape from a social reality.

But for the people of the Ivory Coast and Zambia it is much more than that. This game, this silly little 90 minutes of grown men kicking a ball, is unifying a cultural reality. One that breaks away from social, economical and political barriers, a microcosm of equality, something many of the people of Africa have never felt.

At the final whistle, a winner will be crowned on the field, reflected in the score. But what the scoreboard will not record is the positive results the game will have for the people of the Ivory Coast, Zambia and Africa as a whole.

Follow me on Twitter: @thecriterionman

World class striker Didier Drogba and the Ivory Coast National Football Team are primed to take home the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations this coming February.

The top-ranked African squad comes from one of the best football countries around the globe today, ranking 18th in the FIFA world rankings.

Ivory Coast's group at the Cup features three beatable opponents. They will face off against Sudan, Burkina Faso and Angola en route to the knockout stages which are set to begin on Feb. 4.

All three teams rank outside of the FIFA top 65 and only Sudan has experienced significant success at the Africa Cup of Nations, albeit limited success that happened more than four decades ago.

The group stage will be a breeze for Drogba and company, though, as they went up 1-0 early on Sudan in the Group B opening match. The goal was netted by Drogba in the 39th minute.

But the hunger for a tournament title is what will drive the highest-ranked African nation to a championship in 2012. Ivory Coast has not won the Africa Cup of Nations since 1992, and was ousted in the quarterfinals two years ago.

The emerging football nation has qualified successfully for the past two World Cups, finishing 19th and 17th in 2006 and 2010, respectively.

Ivory Coast has a clear path with Egypt out of the picture to take home its second Africa Cup of Nations in 19 tries.

The captain, Drogba, has already made his presence known, and he will prove to be the best player in the tournament as he scores Ivory Coast to the top of African football.

If there was ever a time for Ivory Coast to run away with the Africa Cup of Nations, it's right now.

The Elephants, who, according to FIFA, are already the top ranked team in Africa, should have no problem dominating their opponents in this year's tournament.

The reason? Lack of competition.

Five of the top seven African countries behind Ivory Coast didn't qualify for the tournament.

Egypt, South Africa, Cameroon, Nigeria and others failed to qualify for multiple reasons.

Other than Ghana, there aren't any teams in the tournament that really have much of a shot at taking down Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast, who are ranked 18th in the world, are the clear favorites in Group B.

Who is the competition in Group B?

Following Ivory Coast is 66th-ranked Burkina Faso, 85th-ranked Angola and 120th-ranked Sudan.

Ivory Coasts boasts one of the best rosters in the world.

Yaya and Kolo Touré from Manchester City, Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou, Newcastle midfielder Chieck Tioté and Arsenal striker Gervinho are just a few worth mentioning.

Other than Ghana or Senegal, there is no team in this tournament that stands a chance against the talent on this roster.

Even when they meet up, Ghana and Senegal will still be clear underdogs in the matchup.

Obviously, the talent on the team isn't everything. The players will need to gel.

They do have that talent though, and they also clearly hold the confidence. They are going to be the team to beat over the next month.

Heading into the Africa Cup of Nations, Ivory Coast are the clear favorite.

Their opponents are sub-par, their players are focused and they are the most talented team. Therefore, there's no reason to think Ivory Coast will lose this tournament.

In the latest FIFA Rankings, Ivory Coast are the top ranked team in Africa, and not many other qualifiers are close. After the Elephants, five of the top seven African countries did not even qualify for the tournament.

No other African nation is in the Top 25, which means the other teams will have a tough time competing with Ivory Coast. Ghana are the second-best team; however, after them, no country strikes much fear into anyone.

Just look at Group B—after 18th-ranked Ivory Coast (No. 1 in the region), the other countries are 66th-ranked Burkina Faso (14th), 85th-ranked Angola (19th) and 120th-ranked Sudan (30th).

Ivory Coast might not even break a sweat in group play.

At some point, the Elephants might face Ghana or Senegal. So what? There won't be much competition until then.

Even without the toughest competition, Ivory Coast's players are focused. Midfielder Cheik Tiote looked at the empty trophy cabinet and said, "We have to win this Cup of Nations."

He is a tough, young player who understands the importance of actually winning trophies. The Elephants are usually one of the better teams, but they haven't been impressive in big tournaments.

Whether it's poor focus (2010 Cup of Nations vs. Algeria) or bad luck (2010 World Cup Group of Death), Ivory Coast have come up small in big tournaments.

Didier Drogba seemed to downplay the importance of winning, simply stating that their "ambition is to improve on two years ago when we were eliminated in the quarterfinals."

When a young player and seasoned player are both that focused, good things usually happen. The team is ready to take the trophy, and their focus is evident.

At the end of the day, Ivory Coast are the most talented team in the competition.

With Yaya Toure, Gervinho and Drogba, to name a few, the Ivorians have the deepest team on the continent. Yes, Ghana have Kevin Prince-Boateng and Senegal have Demba Ba, but they are not enough to say Ivory Coast are inferior to anybody.

Talent isn't the only thing that's necessary to win. However, it sure helps.

Ivory Coast are the most talented team, which puts them one step ahead of the other teams.

With such weak competition, a laser-sharp focus and supreme talent, Ivory Coast will dominate the Africa Cup of Nations.

Group G

Brazil   0-0   Portugal

Ivory Coast   3-0   North Korea

Group H

Chile   1-2   Spain

Honduras   0-0   Switzerland

Hello, Colm Larkin here, Bleacher Report writer and your guide through this Group G match between North Korea and Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast needs goals galore if it is to have any hope of reaching the second round. Didier Drogba and co. may need to beat the seven that Portugal put past hapless North Korea. Can they do it?

If you can’t get to a TV, why not follow all the drama and excitement here? You can join the conversation by posting your comments below.

FULL-TIME IVORY COAST 3 NORTH KOREA 0

Ivory Coast is out of the World Cup. The Elephants did well enough to beat North Korea convincingly but matching Portugal's seven goals was always going to be a tough task.

Goals from Yaya Touré, Romaric and Kalou mattered little as Portugal earned the point it needed to progress to round two with a scoreless draw against Brazil.

Ivory Coast will regret Eriksson's strange tactic of playing for the draw against Portugal, a game his team really needed to beat to give itself a chance of qualifying.

I'm sure Sven will be comforted by his millions, the players may think again about their insistence that previous coach Vahid Halihodzic be replaced.

Still, at least the Ivory Coast fans did their country proud.

After an excellent opening performance against Brazil, North Korea's tournament really petered out.

After the hammering by Portugal, the players should be happy with a better defensive showing today and I'm sure they will receive all the honors that the Dear Leader can bestow on them. Hopefully!

Thanks for your company.

93 min. North Korea press for an injury-time consolation but another attack ends with a poor final ball.

89 min. This must be quite dispiriting for Ivory Coast. The players know their World Cup is ending, but to be fair to them, they contine to press for goals.

86 min. I thought that was four. A free-kick found its way to Dindane who finished well, but he was offside.

85 min. North Korea has yet to make a substitution. It must really suck being a North Korea reserve player.

81 min. GOAL! 3-0 IVORY COAST (KALOU)

Beautiful cross from the left by Boka is volleyed home well by Kalou. A lovely goal is greeted by equally lovely coordinated swaying from those magnificent Ivory Coast fans.

80 min. Jong almost scored for North Korea after slipping behind the Ivory Coast defense.

79 min. SUBSTITUTION. Ivory Coast makes its final change with Doumbia coming on for Romaric. There's that extra forward I wanted earlier.

76 min. Mustoe is probably my favorite of ESPN's pundits, though he is not exactly in exalted company. I think he is the only one who ever talks about formations and tactics, the rest just tend to jabber constantly without ever really saying anything.

Those Ivory Coast fans are now doing a nifty hand dance. There is also a man dressed as an elephant.

As you can imagine from the fact that I'm discussing anything but the game, not much is happening here.

72 min. ESPN announcer Robbie Mustoe wants North Korea's players to start having more fun instead of constantly having to work hard to close down their opponents. I think they'd be happy not to concede seven goals again. Besides you don't usually tend to equate North Korea with fun.

70 min. North Korea is defending much better in this second half, finally managing to stop Ivory Coast playing in behind its defense. The Africans are being restricted to long-range shots, though Romaric did force a decent save from Ri with a sweetly-struck left-foot effort.

65 min. SUBSTITUTION. Kalou and Dindane replace Gervinho and Keita for Ivory Coast. I thought the Elephants might be going all out in attack when I saw the two substitutes warming up, but conservative Sven has just swapped forwards for forwards.

Before that substitution, Drogba and Gervinho both missed good chances.

59 min. North Korea trying to attack should suit Ivory Coast, but the Elephants are very slow to counter when they win the ball back.  You'd imagine the players would be racing forward to try and get the goals needed, but instead there is only about four players strolling around in the Korean half.

56 min. North Korea looks much better so far in this half and has finally got its swift counter-attacking passing working. Just lacking real quality with final passes.

Drogba heads wide from an Ivory Coast corner.

54 min. Lovely piece of play from Eboué on the right ends with a cross that flashes across the goalline.

And Jong Tae-se finally gets into the action, with a decent shot that was easily saved by Barry.

48 min. Goalkeepr Ri receives some treatment after a clash with Keita, but he's OK to continue. Ivory Coast opened up the Korean defense once more, but couldn't quite get a shot off.

46 min. The second-half kicks off as the setting suns cast a lovely orange glow across the main stand of the Mbombela Stadium.

HALF-TIME IVORY COAST 2 NORTH KOREA 0

This is one of the most one-sided games of soccer I've ever seen. North Korea has hardly been out of its own half and Ivory Coast has bascially strolled to a two-goal lead.

The African side will need to step up the tempo in the second half if it is to get the six more goals needed. And Brazil to score.

See you in 10 minutes.

43 min. Those oversized sunglasses seem to be the average fan's weapon of choice at this World Cup. That and a vuvuzela, of course.

38 min. Another nice touch from Gervinho allowed him a shot which clipped the post as it went wide. Ivory Coast will definitely get some more goals here. Let's hope Brazil can do them a favor against Portugal. That game is still 0-0.

36 min. There was also a lovely bit of coordinated dancing from that block of Ivory Coast fans, who are probably providing more entertainment than this game currently is.

34 min. Sorry for the lack of updates, laptop went into temporary meltdown.

It is still 2-0 to Ivory Coast. What you missed while my computer had a minor freakout was a decent freekick by North Korea's captain Hong, which just curled past the post and a Keita volley that flashed over the crossbar.

20 min. GOAL! 2-0 (ROMARIC)

A beautiful touch from Drogba turned Ri Jun-il inside-out and the striker cracked an effort off the underside of the crossbar. While Drogba was claiming the ball had crossed the line, Romaric followed up to score with a simple header.

17 min. Romaric hit the post with a left-foot shot from distance.

It really looks like the Koreans are struggling to cope with the pace and power of the Elephant's game. No matter how fit and well-trained they are, these players will not be used to the regular intensity and competitiveness of top-class football.

14 min. GOAL! IVORY COAST 1-0 (Y. TOURE)

A nice finish from just inside the area by the Barcelona midfielder Yaya Touré. Simply curled his shot beyond the grasp of goalkeeper Ri.

Is the goal glut about to begin?

12 min. Drogba has just had a header correctly ruled out for offside and Gervinho probably should have done better with a chance inside the NK area.

Gervinho has started well. I have no idea why Sven didn't start him against Brazil.

11 min. Gervinho made a great run to the byline and passed the ball past the goalkeeper that trickled across th

8 min. Ivory Coast needs Brazil to beat Portugal in the group's other game. Brazil has made a number of changes, but fortunately for Ivory Coast the replacements are other Brazilian soccer players and therefore very good. I'll keep you updated on any goals in that game.

Nothing much happening here so far. Ivory Coast with lots of possession but no penetration.

4 min. The commentators continue to refer to the supposed special link that North Korea's Dear Leader has to the Korean bench. I like to think that coach Kim was merely displaying a very ironic sense of humor when he said that and all of North Koreans is now chuckling at how gullible the imperialist West is.

Early save from goalkeeper Ri after Keita got in behind the North Korean defense.

1 min. We are off. Ivory Coast wear its Sporting Lisbon-inspired green and white hoops. North Korea is in red.

National Anthems

There is a block of about 40 Ivory Coast supporters in bright orange swaying in unison during their country's national anthem.

Meanwhile Sven stared into the distance, possibly thinking about the millions he has earned for a month's worth of achieving very little.

Pre-match Build Up

Unless you are North Korean, you will be hoping for goals, goals, goals today. Ivory Coast needs a nine-goal swing if it wants to beat Portugal to Group G’s second spot, so the Elephants will be hoping to run riot against North Korea.

North Korea’s coach Kim has said that his team needs to restore its honor with this game. From what we have seen of his team so far, I don’t quite expect them to come out to defend.

So hopefully there will be lots of goalmouth action. And if you are North Korean, I’m not sure you’re allowed to be reading this, but welcome.

Team News

A number of changes for Ivory Coast sees exciting winger Gervinho start along with Arthur Boka, Romaric and Abdelakder Keita. Out goes Aruna Dindane, Guy Demel, Siaki Tiene and Salomon Kalou.

North Korea is unchanged from the side that was trounced by Portugal. These guys will be playing for their honor.

North Korea (5-3-2)

Ri Myong-guk
Cha – Ri Jun-il – Pak Chol-jin – Ri Kwang-chon – Ji
Pak Nam-chol – Mun – An Yong-hak
Jong – Hong

Ivory Coast (4-3-3)

Barry
Eboué – K. Touré – Zokora – Boka
Romaric – Y. Touré – Tioté
Gervinho – Drogba – Keita