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