Two goals in two second-half minutes saw Ivory Coast come from behind to beat Japan 2-1 in a dramatic Group C encounter late on Saturday.
A fine Keisuke Honda strike after 16 minutes had put Japan in front at the Arena Pernambuco in Recife, but the Ivorians introduced Didier Drogba from the bench just after the hour mark before going on to turn the game on its head.
Within five minutes of the veteran striker’s arrival on the rain-soaked surface, the Elephants scored twice, both times from Serge Aurier crosses.
Photo: Reuters
The equalizer came when the right-back’s curling delivery was headed home by Wilfried Bony, before Gervinho connected with another Aurier cross to the center to stun the Japanese contingent inside the stadium.
The result sees the Ivory Coast join Colombia — who beat Greece 3-0 earlier in the day — on three points atop Group C and Sabri Lamouchi’s Elephants are to face the South Americans next in Brasilia on Thursday.
“We didn’t start the match very well and we switched off at the goal, but then we started to create chances. For us it was so important to start this World Cup positively,” Lamouchi said.
Photo: EPA
“Having a player like Didier Drogba in your side, whether he is starting or on the bench, changes a match. The players are delighted with the victory, but we are not through yet,” he added.
Meanwhile, Japan are to face Greece in Natal next, knowing that they cannot afford another setback.
“The Ivory Coast stepped up the intensity as the game went on. Physically they are so strong, more than we are capable of being,” Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni said. “They are stronger than us in the penalty box so we needed to prevent the crosses from coming in. I thought we could win the game, but now our backs are against the wall.”
The Elephants are desperate to finally progress beyond the group stage at a World Cup after failing in 2006 and 2010, and they were boosted in Recife by the presence in their starting line-up of Yaya Toure, who shrugged off a hamstring problem in time to captain the side.
Drogba was on the bench at kick-off, with Swansea City’s Bony preferred in attack, but the Ivorians still maintained a considerable physical advantage over the Asian champions.
However, what Japan lack in muscle they make up for in technical ability and Honda displayed his class to put the Blue Samurai ahead.
Following a throw-in from the left flank, the ball arrived at the feet of AC Milan playmaker Honda at the edge of the box and he took a touch before letting fly with a powerful, rising left-foot strike that gave Boubacar Barry Copa in goal no chance.
Honda also scored Japan’s first goal at the 2010 World Cup, in a 1-0 victory against Cameroon in South Africa, before the Asian giants eventually bowed out in the last 16.
This time, his goal gave Japan a platform which right-back Atsuto Uchida almost built on, as he broke into the box and turned inside Serey Die only to see his shot beaten away by the goalkeeper.
As the rain continued to fall, the Ivorians gradually came into the contest, with Yaya Toure and Arthur Boka threatening from free-kicks, and the latter seeing a fizzing long-range strike parried away by Eiji Kawashima in the Japanese goal.
Lamouchi opted to throw Drogba into the fray in the 62nd minute, withdrawing a defensive midfielder in Serey Die, and his presence unsettled the Japanese defense enough for them to concede two quick goals.
Aurier, of French club Toulouse, was the source of both goals with two identical balls into the box from the right.
For the equalizer, Bony connected with his head to send the ball flying past Kawashima and into the net at the far post.
Two minutes later, Gervinho was left unmarked to head home at the near post and Japan never really looked like coming back into the contest after that.
Indeed, the Ivorians could have added to their lead, with Drogba twice almost getting on the score sheet, including from a 30m free-kick that Kawashima turned behind.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB