After a fraught start problems, African representation in
the field gets World Brazil 2014. Ivory Coast and expected to ratify the
improvement defeating Greece Tuesday in Fortaleza.
Algeria beat South Korea 4-2 after losing to Belgium,
Nigeria got its first victory after a dull goalless draw with Iran and Ghana
snatched a 2-2 draw after losing to Germany to the United States. Now is the
turn of the Ivorians, seeking to recover from his loss to Colombiapara secure a
place in the knockout stages.
After beating Japan in the opener, Ivory Coast fell 2-1
to the Colombians, and Sabri Lamouchi coach said the team had been a victim of
its own mistakes.
Ivory Coast is master of its fate on the final day of
group C. Colombia leads with six points and the African team is next with
three, while Greece and Japan have one point each.
Lamouchi said he was not planning big changes to its
starting lineup, which stands Gervinho, Roma striker already added two goals in
Brazil. The strategist expects the presence of veteran striker Didier Drogba as
a replacement for the second time.
Meanwhile, the soccer federation said Ivory Coast will
double the payment of a bonus for an undisclosed amount to the players if they
beat Greece.
The Greeks fell thrashed Colombia 3-0 in their first
match, but kept alive their hopes of qualifying after a goalless draw with Japan
despite playing a man down.
The 2004 European champions are not known for their
scoring power, and have only scored twice in three world, which have been
granted 18 goals in total.
