FOOTBALL Live

Friday January 25, 2008 Finished Essipong Stadium

Logo 4 - Logo 1

Ivory Coast

  • Drogba 40’
  • Touré 44’
  • Keita 52’
  • Dindane 62’

Benin

  • Omotoyossi 90’

  • Live Commentary

    Time:90'
    • Ivory Coast
    • Benin
    • FT And there is the final whistle - a solid win from the Elephants - the quarter-finals await - join us for Nigeria and Mali in a little over half-an-hour.
    • 90+2 And Oumar Tchomogo heads just wide when he was found free - nearly another one for Benin.
    • 90' AND BENIN HAVE SCORED - Superb goal too - a great cross by Sessegnon and an excellent header from Razak Omotoyossi - they deserved that.
    • 88' Young Gervinho now goes into the box for diving - shame to see such a talented young player resorting to those tactics when his side is 4-0 up.
    • 87' Lovely skill by young Gervinho on the edge of the box, he turns his man, and then gets a decent low drive away but Chitou makes an excellent save.
    • 85' Party time for the Elephant fans - they are signing and dancing to the beat as we enter the last five minutes.
    • 82' A couple of moments for Benin - Tchomogo with a decent drive well saved by Barry and then Omotoyossi fired over but they still can't find the breakthrough.
    • 78' Kalou has a chance to get onto the mark after Chitou goes walk abouts but he fires well over the bar.
    • 76' Keita comes off for Ivory Coast with the highly rated youngster Gervinho coming on.
    • 72' Both teams just sort of going through the motions here now - it would be nice to see Benin nick a goal though - and to be fair they deserve one.
    • 68' Benin have also made a change Seka on for Chrystosome.
    • 68' Not surprisingly Drogba is talken off and probably is going to be wrapped up in cotton wool too - his work here is done.. Sanago comes on.
    • 66' So this is turning into an impressive performance from the Ivorians - the only worry is how serious is the injury to Toure.
    • 62' IT'S FOUR - Dindane finally gets himself on the score-sheet - Great stuff from Drogba to set it up - from a corner he takes it down superbly while moving away from goal - he then plays in a lovely ball and the Lens keeper is there to head home with an excellent header. Dindane shows his boot to the camera which is odd considering he scored with his head!
    • 62' Omotoyossi again shows good feet while under pressure but he is crowded out but the Ivorian defenders.
    • 59' Great stuff from Ivory Coast - some lovely one-two stuff between Keita and Dindane sees the latter having a great chance to head in the fourth but his headerer lacks power and Chitou saves.
    • 54' So this game looks over as a contest and Ivory Coast are cruising into the next round. It also means that if Nigeria lose today to Mali they will be OUT!
    • 52' IT IS A THIRD FOR IVORY COAST - Keita has got it - it came when the Lyon man and Drogba crowded out Chrystosome who was given a suicide pass from Chitout - Keita was then able to run into box unchallenged and comfortably slot home.
    • 52' Sessegnon give a little bit too much lip to referee and he is booked.
    • 49' Drogba curls in a great cross from the right but Dindane heads over the bar.
    • 46' And we are back underway...
    • HT And there is the half-time whistle.
    • 45+4 Bad news for the Ivory Coast and indeed for Arsenal. Kolo Toure is OFF with looks like a groin strain - Gohouri has come on for him.
    • 45+4 GOOD SAVE BY BARRY - Poor defending from the Ivory Coast and the ball falls to Tchomogo in space near the penatly spot - he doesn't make a great contact with the ball but he gets it on target and Barry has to get down low to save.
    • 45+3 Good run into the box by Dindane but he couldn't really make a proper on the shot and he drags it wide.
    • 45+2 We are in the second of four added minutes.
    • 45+1 Kolo now off receiving treatment after picking up a knock.
    • 44' AND IT IS TWO FOR IVORY COAST - YAYA TOURE MADE ONE AND NOW HE HAS SCORED ONE. First Toure should have got his head on a corner but the ball fell to his brother Kolo at the back post. The Arsenal man then showed great feet to take it down before playing it low to the back post for his younger brother to tap in.
    • 42' Great chance for Benin to get back into the match as Tchomogo has a free header from a corner - but he puts it wide.
    • 41' DROGBA SCORES FOR IVORY COAST - The goal was made by Yaya Toure who won the ball in midfield and then sliced open the defence with a superb low pass - Drogba runs onto and then calmly slots the ball home for his first in the tournament.
    • 40' Dindane finds Kalou in space outside the box but he curls a poor effort over.
    • 38' The referee gives a soft free kick for Adjamossi's leap onto to Drogba as he heads clear. There didn't look much it that. It gives the Elephants a free just outside the box - it is flicked to Boka whose love drive is deflected wide.
    • 36' At the other end Meite is booked for a foul about 35-yards out. The Bolton man will now miss the Mali match. Tchomogo's free is off the wall and out for a corner but nothing comes from that.
    • 35' DROGBA WITH A SHOCKING MISS - great work from Kalou who burns his man down the left - he then plays the ball into the box for Dindane. The Lens man then played it back to Drogba eight yards out but the Chelsea man fires over when it looked easier to score.
    • 32' Benin starting to squeeze the play now and Ivory Coast are struggling to find the space they were enjoying in the early stages - Kalou has just been booked for a cheeky pull of the shirt.
    • 28' Ivory Coast with a free in a great area just to the left and five yards outside the area - Drogba to shoot...and he hits the target but Chitou holds on to make a neat save - it was at a nice height for the Benin keeper but the Ivory Coast are starting to up the pressure now.
    • 26' Nice passing move from the Ivory Coast ends when Gaspoz nicks the ball away from Dindane - it leads to a corner though but the Elephants can't do anything with it.
    • 23' Neither side looking good when it comes to defending set plays and both teams defending quite high up the pitch - you sense their could be goals in this one and now that I have said that go and put the mortgage on the 0-0 draw.
    • 21' Drogba limping off the pitch after diving spectacularly after a challenge - he will be fine though - he is a big boy!
    • 19' Adjamossi's shot/cross is deflected towards the goal - it was probably going over but Barry takes no chances and pushes it over. Neither side looking particularly secure at the back early on.
    • 16' Sessegnon with a great effort from all of 35-yards out - lots of movement on the ball through the air and Barry spills it but luckily for him there was nobody rushing in for the rebound.
    • 13' And again Ivory Coast come close - Dindane finds Kalou at the back post and the Chelsea man volleys down into the ground but it bounces over the bar - all Ivory Coast now.
    • 12' Drogba then has a half chance on the edge of the box but he curls his effort straight at Chitou.
    • 12' OFF THE POST FROM Dindane - he is found free in the box by Drogba - awful marking - and he really should head it into the net but it is off the woodwork.
    • 11' Great play by Omotoyossi for Benin as he skips in from the right, goes past a few men, but the angle is too tough when it came to the shot.
    • 10' First booking of the game goes to 37-year-old Alain Gaspoz for a blatant block on Kalou - Zokora plays in the free and Chitout finally gets his hands on it after he initially made the ball look like a hot potato.
    • 9' Still waiting for a pattern to emerge in this game - Benin look up for it though - certainly they do not appear to be overawed by their more celebrated opponents.
    • 6' A little bit of a warning for the Elephants. Some nice passing by Benin eventually sees Adjamossi get a cross in - Barry couldn't get to it but Ivory Coast were then able to clear.
    • 4' Drogba tries a tough first time effort on the half-volley from the edge of the are - an ambitious attempt - far too ambitious even for Drogba it goes well over. Dindane comes back on meanwhile.
    • 2' Strange goings on already - Aruna Dindane has been ordered off by the referee who is not happy with the strapping he has on his middle figner. Ivory Coast down to 10-men for the moment.
    • 2' Benin under the cosh right from the off - Ivory Coast doing the early pressing.
    • 1' Ivory Coast are coming into this game on the back of a 1-0 win over Nigeria, while Benin lost 1-0 to Mali.
    • 1' And Ivory Coast have got us underway...
    • - Terry Butcher is in the Eurosport offices today to give his analysis on the match, and my colleague Jonathon Symcox has got the scoop on whether or not he wants to be the Scotland assistant manager - click on the story on our homepage to find out what he said.
    • - You can see how the two teams line-up below - the national anthems are currently being played. Reports that Irish fans have travelled to Ghana to support the Ivory Coast by flying their flags the other way around are unconfirmed.
    • - Welcome to our LIVE coverage of Ivory Coast v Benin - the Elephants v the Squirrels - I know who I'm backing in that fight but you never do know!

  • Summary

    • 90' AND BENIN HAVE SCORED - Superb goal too - a great cross by Sessegnon and an excellent header from Razak Omotoyossi - they deserved that.
    • 62' IT'S FOUR - Dindane finally gets himself on the score-sheet - Great stuff from Drogba to set it up - from a corner he takes it down superbly while moving away from goal - he then plays in a lovely ball and the Lens keeper is there to head home with an excellent header. Dindane shows his boot to the camera which is odd considering he scored with his head!
    • 52' IT IS A THIRD FOR IVORY COAST - Keita has got it - it came when the Lyon man and Drogba crowded out Chrystosome who was given a suicide pass from Chitout - Keita was then able to run into box unchallenged and comfortably slot home.
    • 45+4 GOOD SAVE BY BARRY - Poor defending from the Ivory Coast and the ball falls to Tchomogo in space near the penatly spot - he doesn't make a great contact with the ball but he gets it on target and Barry has to get down low to save.
    • 44' AND IT IS TWO FOR IVORY COAST - YAYA TOURE MADE ONE AND NOW HE HAS SCORED ONE. First Toure should have got his head on a corner but the ball fell to his brother Kolo at the back post. The Arsenal man then showed great feet to take it down before playing it low to the back post for his younger brother to tap in.
    • 41' DROGBA SCORES FOR IVORY COAST - The goal was made by Yaya Toure who won the ball in midfield and then sliced open the defence with a superb low pass - Drogba runs onto and then calmly slots the ball home for his first in the tournament.
    • 35' DROGBA WITH A SHOCKING MISS - great work from Kalou who burns his man down the left - he then plays the ball into the box for Dindane. The Lens man then played it back to Drogba eight yards out but the Chelsea man fires over when it looked easier to score.
    • 13' And again Ivory Coast come close - Dindane finds Kalou at the back post and the Chelsea man volleys down into the ground but it bounces over the bar - all Ivory Coast now.
    • 12' OFF THE POST FROM Dindane - he is found free in the box by Drogba - awful marking - and he really should head it into the net but it is off the woodwork.

Live Team Line-Up

  • Ivory Coast

    On the Field

    • Barry Copa
    • Eboue
    • Toure Substitution Out (45′)
    • Meite
    • Boka
    • Touré Goal
    • Zokora
    • Keita Goal Substitution Out (76′)
    • Kalou Yellow Card
    • Dindane Goal
    • Drogba Goal Substitution Out (67′)

    Subs

    • Loboué
    • Zoro Kpolo
    • Koné
    • Faé
    • Romaric
    • Sanogo Substitution In (67′)
    • Koné
    • Gohouri Substitution In (45′)
    • Tiene
    • Gervinho Substitution In (76′) Yellow Card
    • Koné
    • Djakpa

    Injured

    None

    Suspended

    None

  • Benin

    Manager: Reinhard Fabisch

    On the Field

    • Rachad
    • Adénon
    • Bocco
    • Adjamossi
    • Chrysostome
    • Ahoueya
    • Sessegnon
    • Gaspoz Substitution Out (50′)
    • Tchomogo Substitution Out (59′)
    • Omotoyossi Goal
    • Tchomogo

    Subs

    • Oketola
    • Oladikpikpo
    • Ogunbiyi Substitution In (50′)
    • Maiga Substitution In (59′)
    • Yoann
    • Amoussou
    • Séka
    • Aï
    • Rouga
    • Koukou
    • Soglo
    • Abdoulaye

    Injured

    None

    Suspended

    None