Ivory Coast were condemned to a 3-1 defeat by Brazil Sunday in a World Cup game that saw Dunga's side reach the round of 16. Luis Fabiano scored either side of the interval before Elano hit the third goal two minutes past the hour mark. Didier Drogba netted the consolation goal for Ivory Coast in the 79th minute. Brazil forward Kaka received his marching orders two minutes from time. He will miss his country's last group stage match with Portugal through automatic suspension. Upon claiming all three points, Brazil qualified for the last 16 as they are now topping Group G with six points. Portugal and Ivory Coast lie second and third respectively with one point each, while North Korea are languishing at the bottom of the group with no points. Ivory Coast's chance to reach the next round will be dented should Portugal beat North Korea on Monday. The Elephants will take on North Korea in their last group stage match too.
Brazilian Dominance Brazil came on with all guns blazing, looking for an early strike against their opponents who first seemed to be formidable. Robinho was about to finish off a well-organized counter attack with a delightful shot that missed the target by inches. On 25 minutes, Fabiano scored the opener after being released in the area by a Kaka deft through, to canon an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net. Brazil became far superior after taking the lead and kept looking for more goals. Despite the Brazilian Dominance, Emmanuel Eboue could have brought the score level five minutes from the break but his shot went wide. Eventful The second half witnessed a calm start but soon turned out to be much more eventful than the first period.
Fabiano hit the second goal five minutes after the restart. The Sevilla hitman lift a ball over a couple of challengers to make his way to the goal and double the Selecao's lead. TV replays, however, showed that Fabiano's sensational goal should have been disallowed because he handled the ball twice while eluding the Ivorian defenders. Minutes later, Kaka came close to scoring from inside the 18-yard box but keeper Boubacar Barry parried his effort away. Shortly afterwards, Real Madrid man Kaka darted right his left-hand flank to whip in a low cross that was diverted home by Elano. Elano's enjoyment of his goal didn't last for long as he was taken off few minutes later for what appeared to be a serious injury to his shin. Daniel Alves replaced him right away. With the five-time world champions controlling the game outright, the Ivoirians' presence wasn't quite felt past Brazil's third goal. But Drogba capitalized on a lapse of concentration from the Brazilian backline to head Ivory Coast's only goal, after connecting with a Yaya Toure diagonal cross. Kaka was sent off for two bookable offences in the space of four minutes. A couple of rows erupted between both teams in the last 10 minutes of the game.
