On paper, the Group G opening match between the Ivory Coast and Portugal appeared to be one of the highlights of the group stages. As two of the top teams looking to advance out of the “Group of Death”, both teams would see their chances of making it to the knockout round greatly advanced by getting a win and the three points. With both teams still facing group favorites Brazil later in group play, walking away from this match with no points could be a fatal blow to either team’s World Cup hopes.
Both teams got the point they needed on a rainy and windy night at Nelson Mandela Stadium in Port Elizabeth, although it wasn’t the type of beautiful, free-flowing football that many came to expect from the match. Even the late appearance of Didier Drogba as a substitute did little to add spark or flair to the match. Despite the presence of Drogba, Cristiano Ronaldo and other very skilled and colorful players, the match ended as a 0-0 draw that was as dreary as the weather.
It was Ronaldo who had the best chance to score, banging a volley off of the woodwork in the 11th minute. While an early goal might have opened the match up, the lack of scoring ultimately tightened the match up with both sides falling back into more conservative tactics as the match wore on. By the second half, it was clear that one goal would likely be the difference. With neither side wanting to risk taking zero points from the match by conceding a late winner, it was abundantly clear by the end of the match that a scoreless draw was the most likely result.
The main drama heading into the match would be if Drogba would be fit to play - and eligible. The hopes of Ivory Coast for World Cup success appeared to be dashed when he suffered a broken right arm in a tune-up match against Japan on June 4. He was fitted with a plastic cast to provide him with enough support to protect his broken arm, but it was unclear if the cast would be approved by FIFA for use in a match. He received approval for the cast just before kickoff but was left out of the starting line-up.
Searching for a spark and sensing that the match was there for the taking, Ivory Coast manager Sven-Goran Eriksson inserted Drogba into the action in the 66th minute, drawing a big reaction from the pro-Ivory Coast crowd in Port Elizabeth who were eager to see an African team win. But while Drogba looked comfortable and healthy in his half-hour of action he was little factor in the match. In fact, it was his teammate Gervinho who was the most dangerous player on the pitch for the Ivory Coast. The French-based player outpaced the Portuguese defense, getting into dangerous positions throughout the match. But while the Ivory Coast was the more dominant team, they lacked the ability to finish the opportunities they created with their occasionally fluid ball movement.
As usual, Ronaldo was the center of attention despite the blank score line. He was involved in two incidents that ended with names going into the book, including his own. The first yellow card was shown in the seventh minute to Ivory Coast defender Didier Zakora, who was booked for a tackle on Ronaldo that might not have deserved such a harsh reprimand. The second moment came in the 20th minute, when Ronaldo was sent - quite theatrically - sprawling from a clean tackle by Guy Demel, which ended with both players receiving yellow cards for squaring up against each other.
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