Thursday 27 april 2006
Drogba leads C™te d'Ivoire
to ACN final
ALEXANDRIA, Egypt -- Striker Didier Drogba sent C™te d'Ivoire into the African Cup of Nations final with the only goal of the semi-final against Nigeria in Alexandria yesterday.
Drogba beat the offside trap to run on to a deep pass from Kolo Toure two minutes into the second half and fired the ball through the legs of Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama.
It was the third goal of the tournament for the Chelsea striker in a match of limited opportunities for both teams.
In Friday's final the Ivorians will face either hosts Egypt or Senegal, who met in the second semi in Cairo later in the day, but the Egyptian Gazette couldn't catch the final result of the match due to the printhouse schedule. The full coverage of Egypt vs Senegal match will be appear on Thrusday edition.
The C™te d'Ivoire controlled the pace from the start and did most of the attacking, with the Super Eagles sitting back and absorbing the pressure.
Drogba went close in the eighth minute, but Enyeama saved his free kick.
Nigeria created chances in the first half, but there were few clear-cut scoring opportunities, as both sides adopted a cautious approach.
After Drogba's goal, the Elephants, growing in confidence, played more freely, but failed to add to the lead.
For C™te d'Ivoire, the final will be their second ever. In 1992, the west-African team defeated Ghana on penalties after a scoreless draw.
Nigerian coach Augustine Eguavoen introduced Bolton's Jay Jay Okocha, but his impact was minimal, with the Ivorian defence closing him down whenever he touched the ball.
The Super Eagles pushed forward in the closing minutes, but they were unable to break down a solid Ivorian defence, led by Arsenal defender Kolo Toure.
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