Day 8: Netherlands vs. Ivory Coast

Netherlands 2 -- Ivory Coast 1

#17 ROBIN VAN PERSIE (Netherlands) 23'
#9 RUUD VAN NISTELROOIJ (Netherlands) 27'
#14 BAKARY KONE (Ivory Coast) 38'

Heartbreaks do not come bigger than this as the Ivory Coast's hopes and dreams to advance to the knockout stages came down clattering. It is clear to me which team should have won based on their performance as Ivory Coast outshone their opponents on the field. The Oranje controlled the better part of the first half and midway through, Van Persie was fouled near the edge of the box and he happily obliged by netting in the first goal of the game. Four minutes later Van Nistelrooij who had come under scrutiny for a lacklustre performance in his previous game shot the ball past a diving Tizie. Moments later Côte d'Ivoire seemed they would cut the lead down from a 25 yard strike by Didier Zokora only to have it stopped by the woodwork. Côte d'Ivoire's hard work paid off when they found the net in the 38th minute from a splendid goal from Bakary Kone which saw its way into the top corner of the net. And so this is how the story would end for Côte d'Ivoire in terms of the final scoreline, but the second half had much more of Côte d'Ivoire in store.

The Ivorians dominated the second half so much that one would be tempted to think that they were in the lead but alas that was not the case as they were fighting teeth and skin to peg back one to draw the game and see where it went from there. Ivory Coast may have been the best debutante with the unluckiest draw and the biggest heart and spirit as they showed great tenacity and grit in both their games. Fighting a two goal deficit is not easy and many teams wilt under the pressure aka Serbia & Montenegro. The World Cup really needs more teams like that, teams with a will to take the fight to the opposition regardless of how outclassed they are on paper. That to me will preserve the beauty of the game and promote goodwill as tough performances will always be acknowledged by even the harshest of critics. I really feel for Côte d'Ivoire and wish they would have stayed as they are a promising team with an abundance of talent and heart. I wish you the best of luck and au revoire Elephants and I hope to see you in South Africa.