BRASILIA, BRAZIL – Japan’s stalemate with 10-man Greece has opened the door for Ivory Coast to progress to the last 16 of the World Cup for the first time in their history despite defeat by Colombia on Thursday.
Ivorian hopes were high of an appearance in the knockout stages of the competition when the groups were drawn back in December, and a win against Fernando Santos’ Greek side next Tuesday would guarantee football beyond the group stage for Les Éléphants.
After falling at the first hurdle in both 2006 and last time out in South Africa, the fate of Ivory Coast is in their hands ahead of the last round of group matches, despite failing to impress in the tournament thus far.
This will be the last World Cup for a host of players on the Ivorian squad, including all-time top scorer, Didier Drogba. Despite his advancing years, the Galatasaray striker has already shown his worth at this World Cup.
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The introduction of Drogba against Japan swung the momentum in favour of Les Éléphants in the opening game of Group C in Recife. While the 36-year old forward didn’t manage to find the net, his presence caused panic in the Japanese defence, freeing up space for Wilfried Bony and Gervinho to notch the goals that saw the Ivorians complete the comeback and take the spoils at the Arena Pernambuco.
On Thursday, in a magnificent spectacle at the Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha in Brasilia against Los Cafeteros of Colombia, manager Sabri Lamouchi once again chose to leave Drogba on the bench, continuing with Bony in attack. The Swansea man was largely ineffective against Jose Pekerman’s team. Drogba replaced him and staked his claim for a starting spot in the crucial match against Greece in Fortaleza.
Drogba has excelled for over a decade in European football, winning the Champions League with his last kick in the blue of Chelsea to complete his medal collection at domestic level. Despite accolades galore with Marseille, Chelsea and Galatasaray, Drogba and his Ivorian compatriots remain trophy-less in continental and World football despite the current crop being widely regarded as the best African side of their generation.
Coming into this competition, Ivory Coast were able to select some of European football’s most in-form players, including Yaya Touré, Gervinho, Salomon Kalou, Bony and Drogba. Plus, the incredibly talented Serge Aurier has attracted wanton glances from the continent’s most prestigious football clubs after a break-out season with Toulouse in France’s Ligue 1.
With many of this Ivorian Golden Generation the wrong side of 30, the World Cup in Brazil is possibly their last chance to shine in international football, something this team has failed to do despite the wealth of talent at its disposal.
Successive African Cup of Nations failures have cemented the view amongst many on the continent and beyond that the title of Africa’s best team isn’t warranted. In terms of raw talent, few African nations can boast the level and depth of the Ivorian squad. But there is no doubt that they have underachieved.
The 2012 African Cup of Nations campaign was a kick away from being the vindication required to finally live up to the tag as Africa’s best side. Zambia had other ideas, coming out victorious in one of the most accomplished penalty shoot-out performances in recent memory. The Ivorians remained without the title required to justify the praise lavished upon them.
Les Éléphants didn’t concede a goal in the 2012 edition of the African Cup of Nations, seeing off Sudan, Burkina Faso and Angola in the group stage before knocking out Equatorial Guinea and Mali, setting up the clash with Zambia. The final took place in Libreville, Gabon—the setting of the tragic plane crash that claimed the lives of the Zambia squad and coaching staff some 19 years previously. Kolo Toure and Gervinho, two of Ivory Coast’s foremost stars, missed the penalties that saw their best chance slip away in the Libreville night.
2013 saw no such close-run in, with Ivory Coast disappointing against Stephen ‘Big Boss’ Keshi’s Nigerian Super Eagles, losing to the eventual champions in the quarterfinals in Rustenburg, South Africa.
The World Cup in Brazil is the final chance for this Ivory Coast to make their impact at international level. A second round game against Italy is likely should Ivory Coast get the required result against Greece—a tough ask if they are to emulate their west African neighbours Cameroon, Senegal and Ghana and make it to the last eight of the competition. It’s a case of now or never for Drogba and Les Élephants.
Paul Sarahs is an English-based journalist who is covering the World Cup for Sportsnet in Brazil. Follow Paul on Twitter.
