Nigeria 0 – Cote d’Ivorie 1

A great start to the ANC for the Elephants, as they were able to beat the heavy hitters of Nigeria with a one-nil victory. This is literally a dream start for the Elephants with the potential to take nine points from the group and with Benin on deck coming fresh off a nil-nil draw with Mali, the Elephants are in the drivers seat for the rest of the tournament.

As expected the game began with a bit of sparring, but as the match picked up so did the shots on net. Nigeria’s Kalu was the first to try to strike but was unsuccessful time and time again. It was not until the 66th minute where Salamon Kalou shimmied past three Nigerian defenders and ripped a shot past the keeper.

The important thing was that Gili was able to establish a quality line up with Drogba, Kalou, & Dindane up front. Drogba did not last the entire match but played well and as the fast track to recovery. In the second half Gili removed a defender for Abul Keita to become more attack minded and basically open up the game.

I would expect Gili to ease off against Benin and really begin to prepare himself for the third game against Mali, and also with a foresight for the next round. A great start to the ANC for the whole squad and if they continue this run of play things will be coming orange for the rest of the tournament.