The African side trailed to a stunning Keisuke Honda strike in the
first half, but the introduction of striker Didier Drogba off the bench
proved the catalyst to turn the match on its head after the restart as
they scored twice in three minutes. The victory at the Pernambuco
arena moved the Ivorians level on three points at the top of Group C
with Colombia, who beat Greece 3-0 earlier on Saturday. With
coaches so often judged on their ability to make brave decisions, Ivory
Coast's Sabri Lamouchi put his neck on the line by leaving out Drogba,
for so long a talismanic presence in the lineup, in favour of the
in-form Bony. It looked a poor call as Japan had the better of the first half. They
were sharp and nimble in possession, working clever angles as they
picked off their opponents' frequently misplaced passes and took the
lead with a goal of genuine quality from Honda after 16 minutes.
Ivory Coast's Wilfried Bony
(C) celebrates after scoring a goal against Japan during their 2014
World Cup Group C soccer match at the Pernambuco arena in Recife June
14, 2014. Credit: Reuters
Ivory Coast's Gervinho (L) and
Didier Drogba celebrate a goal by teammate Wilfried Bony against Japan
during their 2014 World Cup Group C soccer match at the Pernambuco arena
in Recife, June 14, 2014. Credit: Reuters
Collecting a pass across the box, he took one touch to shift it out of
his feet and then drove it powerfully into the top corner with his left
foot, before galloping away in celebration as blue hordes of Japanese
fans celebrated deliriously.The Elephants had their moments,
with midfielder Yaya Toure showing occasional glimpses of his
destructive powers, shifting through the gears with trademark bursts of
raw energy.Yet there was little killer instinct as half chances
came and went, with Drogba prowling on the sidelines before entering the
fray after 62 minutes.
Japan's Keisuke Honda shoots
to score a goal past Ivory Coast's Boubacar Barry during their 2014
World Cup Group C soccer match at the Pernambuco arena in Recife, June
14, 2014. Credit: Reuters
Japan's players celebrate the
goal scored by Keisuke Honda (obscured) against Ivory Coast during their
2014 World Cup Group C soccer match at the Pernambuco arena in Recife
June 14, 2014. Credit: Reuters
The change had the desired impact on the Ivory Coast who
levelled two minutes later when Bony leapt to glance a fizzing Serge
Aurier cross into the far corner. Two minutes later and another
drilled Aurier centre was met this time by Gervinho who got in front of
his marker to direct a header on goal that squirmed past Japan
goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima, who should have done better
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