Kalou On Target For Les Elephants Ivory Coast 3 Rwanda 0

Salomon Kalou was the only scorer at the weekend for the Chelsea players in International action as The Ivory Coast, with new coach Francois Zahoui in charge for the first time in a competitive game, had little trouble dispatching Rwanda in their first match of the 2012 African Cup Of Nations Group H match today.

First-half goals from Premier League trio Yaya Toure (11) of Manchester City, Salomon Kalou (19) and Emmanuel Eboue (40) from Arsenal put them 3-0 up and the score remained that way in Abidjan with the hosts earning a comfortable win in Group H.

Dider Drogba was omitted from the squad but "Les Elephants" highest ever goalscorer refused to call time on his international career saying he will always be up for selection for Francois Zahoui

Next Match: v Burundi (A) 8th October 2010

North Korea 0 Ivory Coast 3

Scorers: Y.Toure (IVC), Romaric (IVC), Kalou (IVC)

Attendance: 34634

Yaya Toure and Romaric scored first-half goals while Salomon Kalou added one late on as Côte d'Ivoire rumbled over Korea DPR 3-0 in Nelspruit on Friday, but Portugal's 0-0 draw with Brazil ensured the elimination of the west Africans. With four points, the Elephants finish one behind the Portuguese in their second FIFA World Cup™, while Brazil top the group with seven and the Koreans go home after three defeats.

Going into the match knowing they needed to make up at least nine goals on the Portuguese, the Ivorians attacked from the start at a raucous Mbombela Stadium as Kader Keita forced a good save from Korea DPR goalkeeper Ri Myong Guk in the opening minute. The always-dynamic Gervinho then looked to have done enough to open the scoring in the 11th minute when he collected the ball on the byline and pulled it past the goalkeeper and across the face of an empty net, but no Ivorian was on hand to take advantage.

But the Elephants were ahead just three minutes later as full-back Arthur Boka's ball sliced through the defence and found Yaya Toure in space at the top of the area. The Barcelona man calmly brought it under control and curled a right-footed shot past the diving keeper. Midfielder Romaric ticked the outside of the post with a speculative shot shortly after and then doubled the lead in the 20th minute. Drogba made the goal with a fabulous bit of skill, holding off a defender, bringing the ball down and then smacking a shot off the underside of the bar. While appeals were made that the ball crossed the line, Romaric kept his concentration and coolly nodded the ball through a group of defenders.

When the Koreans threatened it was from the pace and industry of Japan-based striker Jong Tae Se on the counter or from free kicks, with captain Hong Yong Jo's curling effort in the 24th minute the best. But it was Côte d'Ivoire creating most of the opportunities, and Gervinho had two good ones before the half-time break. In the 38th minute, he broke onto a through-ball in the box but his shot skimmed the bar to his left with the goalkeeper at his mercy, and just before half-time, he could only loop his header from Drogba's cross at the goalkeeper.

The Asian side held onto the ball more in the second period, and Jong Tae Se again kept the desperate Elephants honest on the break with a low shot to Boubacar Barry's near post in the 51st minute. Drogba could have increased the Elephants' lead in the middle of the half with two headers but he failed to keep either on target.

Sven-Goran Eriksson brought on forwards Aruna Dindane and Salomon Kalou in the 64th minute in the quest for a bag-load more goals, but they left themselves more open at the back and Jong Tae Se had two good chances in 81st minute denied by desperate defending. Just a minute after that, Côte d'Ivoire found their third - just a consolation at that point - as Kalou managed to touch in Boka's cross ahead of the charging goalkeeper.

Brazil 3 Ivory Coast 1

Scorers: Luis Fabiano (Bra) 2 goals, Elano (Bra), Drogba (IVC)

Attendance: 84455

Brazil booked their place in the Round of 16 with a game to spare after a convincing 3-1 victory over Côte d’Ivoire at Soccer City.

Two goals from Luis Fabiano and a third by Elano secured the second victory for Dunga’s side in South Africa – a result that guaranteed them one of the top two places in Group G even before Portugal's meeting with Korea DPR on Monday. It was not all good news for the South Americans, though, who finished the game with ten men after Kaka received a late red card after a clash with Kader Keita. It was Kaka’s second yellow card and came after the Brazilian appeared to dig an elbow into the chest of Keita, who went down clutching his face.

For Sven-Goran Eriksson’s Elephants, this was a sobering evening despite Didier Drogba’s late headed reply. Although Drogba was fit to start his first game of this FIFA World Cup™ – Gervinho the man to make way – Côte d’Ivoire did not trouble Brazil's back line until it was too late and they will now go into their final group game against the Koreans on Friday with just one point to their name.

This much-anticipated meeting of the five-time world champions and Drogba's Elephants – seen by some as potentially Africa's biggest hope before the finals – began with a shooting opportunity for theSeleção inside the first 60 seconds as Robinho broke forward. But, ignoring the yellow shirts on either side of him, he flashed a shot over the crossbar from outside the box.

Robinho had a hand in the opening goal after 25 minutes, some lovely interplay between him, Kaka and Luis Fabiano preceding Kaka's through-ball to the No9 which left him clear to lash a spectacular shot high inside the near post. The Elephants had managed only one shot on target in their goalless draw with Portugal and it took them 38 minutes before Aruna Dindane tried his luck from distance, driving a shot straight at Julio Cesar.

Within five minutes of the restart, Brazil had their second goal as Luis Fabiano struck again. After lifting the ball over Didier Zokora on the edge of the box, he worked his way past two more defenders, controlling a bouncing ball before firing in a low shot that Boubacar Barry got a hand to on its way in. The Ivorians came close to a response soon after only for Drogba to steer a header wide of Julio Cesar’s left-hand post after rising between Maicon and Lucio to meet Dindane’s centre from the right. That would be Dindane's final contribution as he made way for Gervinho, yet the force remained with Brazil.

Kaka had a shot beaten away by Barry in the 61st minute but within 60 seconds he had created the third goal for Elano. The Real Madrid playmaker broke down the left and running at Kolo Toure, found the space to drill in a low cross that Elano turned home for his second goal of the finals. Sadly for Elano that was his final contribution as, soon after, he took a kick on the shin from Ismael Tiote and left the field on a stretcher.

Julio Cesar was finally called into meaningful action when Ivorian substitute Romaric drove in a low shot that the Brazil custodian got down low to block. Eleven minutes from time, however, Drogba did restore a measure of pride for the Elephants when, following Gervinho's lung-bursting forward run, the substitute laid the ball back to Yaya Toure whose precise cross was nodded home by the Chelsea striker. That was the end of the scoring, although for Kaka, the night did not end as he would have wished as tempers flared in the closing minutes.

Ivory Coast 0 Portugal 0

Scorers: None

Attendance: 37034

Although much has been said about the attacking power of Côte d'Ivoire and Portugal, the two Group G giants proved themselves solid at the back, cancelling each other out in a scoreless draw in Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth .

The first half at Nelson Mandela Stadium was one of the most even of the tournament so far, with both teams pushing forward but giving no quarter in defence or in the tackle. Côte d'Ivoire’s attacking triumvirate of Gervinho, Salomon Kalou and Aruna Dindane confirmed themselves to be full of pace and movement, but it was Portugal’s own fleet-footed forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, who had the best chance of the opening period.

The Real Madrid man turned something into nothing in the 11th minute when he smacked an unstoppable, dipping shot off the outside of the post to the goalkeeper’s right from 30 yards. But the Elephants were not fazed by the Germany 2006 semi-finalists, and shortly after Ronaldo‘s attempt, Siaka Tiene zipped a free-kick just past the post and Ismael Tiote fizzed a shot just over the bar.

If the two teams engaged in trench warfare for the rest of the first half, the second half burst to life early on. Two minutes after the break, Gervinho’s shot was flapped at by goalkeeper Eduardo, and from the resulting corner, Tiate rose, but couldn’t get a clean header on it. Half chances came fast and furious then, with Gervinho’s wayward header from Tiote’s cross on the hour mark being the pick of the bunch. The introduction of Didier Drogba in the 66th minute threatened to turn up the action even more, but as a heavy shower settled on the area, the match lost some steam.

As the clock ran down, Portugal went close from long range efforts from Raul Meireles and Ronaldo, while Kolo Toure might have done better at the far post with a header. In injury time, the west Africans pushed hardest and a chance finally came to Drogba, who clutched his injured arm throughout his time on the pitch, but the big Chelsea man hooked Kader Keita’s through-ball off target.

Côte d'Ivoire will now face group favourites Brazil in Johannesburg’s Soccer City on Sunday, while Portugal take on Korea DPR the following day in Cape Town.

Ivory Coast: 1. Barry, 4. K. Toure, 5. Zokora, 8. Kalou, 9. Tiote, 10. Gervinho, 15. Dindane, 17. Tiene, 19. Y.Toure, 20. Demel, 21. Eboue

Subs Used: 11. Drogba, 13. Romaric, 18. Keita

Portugal: 1. Eduardo, 2. Alves, 3. Ferreira, 6. Carvalho, 7. Ronaldo, 8. Mendes, 9. Liedson, 10. Danny, 16. Meireles, 20. Deco, 23. Coentrao

Subs Used: 11. Simao, 17. Amorim, 19. Tiago