Portugal held Ivory Coast to a 0-0 draw in the opening game of Group F on Tuesday. It was the Ivorians who had most of the possession against the team who finished fourth in Germany 2006, but the score was eventually level. Ivory Coast star Didier Drogba started on the bench due to a broken arm as Gervinho played alone upfront. It was Portugal virtuoso Ronaldo who was the first to produce a threat on goal, almost scoring the goal of the tournament so far in the 10th minute. The Real Madrid star rocked the post with an unstoppable 25-yard shot, but was booked ten minutes later for a scuffle with Guy Demel, who was also cautioned. Surprisingly, that was it for Portugal in the first half, which was mostly controlled by the Elephants. The second half was nothing better than the first one, but Ivory Coast looked constantly closer to grabbing a win, but with no real threat on goal. Drogba was introduced in the 66th minute, but it wasn't until injury time when he had his first sight on goal. The Ivorian captain received a fine through pass by substitute Kader Keita; a half-chance that would, in another day, be buried home by the Drog, who blasted wide.
