Favourites dominate but fail to find net

Burkina Faso0

AFRICAN NATIONS Cup favourites Ivory Coast were held to a goalless draw by a stubborn Burkina Faso in their opening Group B match at the Estadio do Cabinda yesterday.

Vahid Halilhodzic’s team dominated possession but could not find the cutting edge to break down a determined Burkinabe defence, despite an impressive frontline of Didier Drogba, Bakari Kone and Gervinho.

The players observed a minute’s silence prior to kick-off in memory of the three people killed in Friday’s gun attack on the Togo team bus in the same enclave of Angola.

When the action got under way, Drogba had an early shout for a penalty after a sliding challenge from Paul Koulibaly, but the referee gave only a corner.

Cheik Tiote came close to breaking the deadlock eight minutes before the break with a long-range shot which curled into the side-netting, and Drogba’s neat first touch on the left set up Kone, only for Daouda Diakite to tip over the bar five minutes later.

Kone was played through by a fine reverse ball from Yaya Toure 10 minutes after the interval but lashed wide, and he passed up an even better opportunity 13 minutes later by skewing horribly wide from six yards.

Drogba was cynically brought down by Mohamed Koffi on the edge of the box 17 minutes from time but the free-kick came to nothing.

IVORY COAST: Boubacar Copa, Toure, Toure Yaya, Eboue, Bamba, Tiene, Zokora, Tiote (Dindane 81), Gervinho (Kalou 73), Bakari Kone (Keita 69), Drogba. Subs not used: Zogbo, Angoua, Boka, Fae, Meite, Gosso, Emmanuel Kone, Demel, Angban. Booked: Toure Yaya.

BURKINA FASO: Diakite, Bakary Kone, Koulibaly (Gnanou 46), Panandetiguiri, Tall, Kabore, Kere, Pitroipa, Rouamba, Dagano (Yssouf Kone 81), Yameogo (Bamogo 62). Subs not used: Germain Sanou, Koffi, Balima, Nikiema, Issouf Ouattara, Moussa Ouattara, Wilfried Sanou, Zoundi, Sawadogo. Booked: Koulibaly, Panandetiguiri.

Referee: K Bennaceur (Tunisia)