PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa: Ivory Coast drew 0-0 with Portugal in the teams’ opening match of the World Cup on Tuesday, largely outplaying its higher-ranked opponent despite Didier Drogba only coming on as a late substitute.
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo hit the post early, but Ivory Coast otherwise created the better openings in the Group G match.
"It was a tight game not many occasions to score," Ivory Coast coach Sven-Goran Eriksson said. "I thought if any team was going to win, it was we. We created some more chances than they did. I am very, very happy with the performance.
"If you think about discipline and organization, I think we were organized for all 90 minutes," Eriksson added. "They have a very good team and a lot of very good footballers, but I think we handled it very well."
Drogba came on as a 66th-minute substitute for Chelsea teammate Salomon Kalou after FIFA cleared him to play with a cast on the arm he broke in a warm-up match against Japan on June 4.
He was only passed fit shortly before kickoff at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium and his entrance was greeted by huge cheers, with vuvuzelas drowning out drumming by Ivorian fans for the first time in the match.
Drogba had little impact on a defense that struggled to contain Lille striker Gervinho and Aruna Dindane, Ivory Coast’s leading scorer when it was knocked out of the first round at the 2006 World Cup.
Ivory Coast picked up another injury problem late on when Kolo Toure went down clutching his leg and signaled to the bench for help.
Gervinho tormented right back Paulo Ferreira until his 82nd-minute replacement by Abdul Keita.
Ronaldo’s best chance came in the 11th minute with a swerving 30-meter (yard) shot that evaded goalkeeper Boubacar Barry but bounced off the left post.
Drogba, sitting among the substitutes, reacted to the near miss by blowing out his cheeks and drawing the sign of the cross across his shoulders.
Ronaldo had already shown the less attractive side of his game three minutes earlier when he won a free kick, pushing the ball past Didier Zokora and tumbling theatrically to the ground even though replays appeared to show there was no contact.
Zokora received the first of the three yellow cards and, although Ronaldo blasted the 35-meter (yard) kick into the wall, the chance relieved the pressure Ivory Coast’s three-man attack had been putting on Portugal’s defense.
Guy-Roland Demel then brought down Ronaldo with a sliding foul in the 21st and referee Jorge Larrionda booked both for squaring up to each other. Demel turned away without complaint but Ronaldo argued with the official, asking what he had done wrong.
"Sometimes it is difficult that the referee does not give fouls," Ronaldo said. "It is complicated. I understand they have to protect the most dangerous, the most skillful players. I did nothing and he gave me a yellow card. I do not understand."
Ronaldo also tapped in from close range in the 72nd minute but the referee had already blown his whistle for offside.
Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz blamed his team’s failure to create clearer chances on a defensive opponent.
"The game was a just result given the chances Portugal had in the first half and Ivory Coast had in terms of the counter attack," Queiroz said.
"One team had a specific strategy to contain and to counter attack.
"And with the fast players Ivory Coast has, it was important Portugal was intelligent enough not to push forward too many players and take too many risks."
