Full time: Ivory Coast 2-1 Japan The referee blows his final whistle 90+3 Yaya Konan looks to have sustained an injury in the dying seconds. 90+1 The referee adds four minutes of stoppage time. 90' A win for the Elephants will come as a major boost as they seek to reach the round of 16 for the first time on their third World Cup appearance. 89' Kalou makes a marauding run down the right but his eventual shot from a tight angle is tipped over by the keeper. 86' Japan make their final substitution. The ineffective Shinji Kagawa is replaced withYoichiro Kakitani. 85' Drogba goes close!! He controls a pull-back on the edge of the area but his shot narrowly misses the target after deflecting off a defender. 84' Ivory Coast move the ball around in their own half, wasting time as the game approaches its end. 82' A powerful free kick from Drogba is blocked by the keeper. 79' Drogba is yet to make a notable impact but his physical presence keeps Japan defenders on their toes. 77' Ivory Coast make their third and final substitution. Wilfried Bony is replaced with Didier Ya Konan. 77' A low Yaya Toure shot goes wide. The Manchester City midfielder is nowhere near his best. 75' Ivory Coast's injured full-back Boka is replaced withConstant Djakpa. 74' Japan are a shadow of the side which played so well in the first half. 71' The match is stopped as Boka receives treatment. Ivory Coast are likely to play it safe in the last 19 minutes. 69' Japan make another substitution. Yoshito Okubo replacesYuya Osako. 66' What a comeback for the Elephants!! Aurier sends another cross to Gervinho at the near post and the AS Roma man's header strikes the hands of Kawashima and finds the net. ## 66' GOAL FOR IVORY COAST!! 65'Serge Aurier's inch-perfect cross is met with a superb glancing header from Bony which goes pastKawashima. ## 64' GOAL FOR IVORY COAST!! 64' Masako Morishige is booked for a challenge on an opponent. 62' Didier Drogba finally comes on! He replacesGeoffrey Serey Die. 60' Kalou sends a low shot from distance but it goes just wide. 58' Another yellow card for Ivory Coast, this time for defender Didier Zokora. 57' Yaya Toure appeals for penalty after being apparently brought down by his challenger after making a jinking run into the area. 54' Ivory Coast defender Souleymane Bamba receives a yellow card. 53' Japan skipper Hasebe is replaced with Yashuito Endo for the team's first substitution. 52' Ivory Coast are in need of Didier Drogba, given the chances they waste in front of goal. 50' At the other end, a low shot from Japan skipper Hasebe misses the target. 48' Bony wastes a chance to equalise! A deflected shot finds Bony unmarked but he heads wide with the goal at his mercy. The second half is underway The referee blows his halftime whistle 45' An angled shot from Boca is collected by Japan keeperKawashima. 44' Another low cross from Yaya Toure is cleared by Japan's backline. Ivory Coast notably improved in the last 10 minutes. 43' This time a cross eludes Japan's defenders! But Kalou's diving header goes high over. 42' Ivory Coast's crosses are repeatedly cleared by Japan's untroubled defence. 39' Bony's attempted half-volley goes wide from inside the area. 39' Toure remains disappointing. He hardly feeds Bony or Gervinho upfront. 36' At the other end, the impressive Honda has his shot deflected off a defender to go over the bar. 35' A thumping shot from Boka is parried by Japan keeperEiji Kawashima. 34' Gervinho misses a chance for Ivory Coast! He runs onto a through pass but his shot from inside the area is blocked by his challenger. Maybe it would be better if he had tried to round his marker. 31' Arthur Boka goes close for the Elephants! His curling free-kick goes just over the crossbar. 30' Honda is causing problems for Ivory Coast's defence with his deft passes. 27' Kalou tries his luck from distance but his shot goes poorly wide. 26' Ivory Coast are yet to find their rhythm. They are struggling to to trouble Japan's defence despite the marauding runs of Gervinho. 24' Yaya Toure's ensuing free-kick goes over the bar. 23' Japan defender Maya Yoshida is booked for a heavy challenge onGeoffroy Serey Die. 22' Japan launch wave after wave of attacks. 20'Atsuto Uchida almost doubles Japan's advantage! He superbly side-steps his marker in the box and shoots from a tight angle but Barry palms away his effort. 19' Although Ivory Coast looked the better side in the first quarter of an hour, Japan scored with the first attacking attempt. 16'KeisukeHonda opens the scoring in brilliant fashion! He receives a pass just inside the area with a slight touch before hitting a powerful left-foot drive that left keeperBoubacar Barry with no chance. ## 16' GOAL FOR JAPAN!! 14' Ivory Coast are barely pressurized by Japan. Their build-up play is only interrupted in the final third. 12' Japan seem very cautious! 10' Japan are sitting back, giving Ivory Coast the chance to pile on pressure upfront. 6' The first chance for Ivory Coast! A speedy counter attack ends with Gervinho finding lone strikerWilfried Bony, whose shot from inside the area deflects off a defender and goes out. 5' It seems Ivory Coast will focus on their efforts on Japan's left flank. 3' In the first foray forward for Ivory Coast, Salomon Kalou whips in a cross the far post but Japan's defence clears the ball. 3' Both sides will be looking to take an early initiative. The match is underway 03:50 Both sides line up for the national anthems. 03:45 Fifteen minutes remaining before kick off. Ivory Coast are keen to secure their third World Cup win, having defeated Serbia in 2006 and North Korea in 2010. 03:10 Ivory Coast icon and skipper Didier Drogba is surprisingly on the bench. 03:05 Starting lineups: Ivory Coast: Boubacar Barry - Arthur Boka, Didier Zokora, Bamba, Serge Aurier - Serey Die, Cheikh Tiote, Yaya Toure - Gervinho, Salomon Kalou, Bony Wilfried. Japan: Kawashima - Uchida, Yamaguchi, Nagatamo, Morishige, Hasebe, Osako, Kagawa, Honda, Yoshida, Okazaki 02:45 Ivory Coast inspirational midfielder Yaya Toure, who enjoyed a superb season at Manchester City, has been declared fit for the game. He has been struggling over the past weeks with a hamstring injury. 02:20 Japan are the Champions of Asia and are willing to prove their worth. 02:00Didier Drogba, the Toure brothers and Didier Zokora are the only players left of Ivory Coast Golden Generation. They will all be on the pitch today and hope to make an impact against Japan. Venue: Itaipava Arena Pernambuco (Recife, Pernambuco) Officials: Referee: E. Osses (Chile) Assistants: C. Astroza (Chile), S. Roman (Chile) Fourth official: N. Alioum (Cameroon) For the match preview, click here (For more sports news and updates,followAhramOnlineSportson Twitter at@AO_Sportsand on Facebook atAhramOnlineSports.) http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/103653.aspx
