Ivory Coast and Tunisia locked horns in Group D of the Africa Cup of Nations this afternoon with the winner guaranteed a spot in the knockout stage of the competiton.
The Ivorians dominated the match from start to finish and took a 1-0 lead into the break, courtesy of a strike from Arsenal's Gervinho.
Sabri Lamouchi's side left it late to kill off their opponents, with Yaya Toure and substitute Ya Konan finding the net in the dying stages for a final score of 3-0.
Find out how all the action unfolded with our minute-by-minute text commentary below.
Good afternoon and welcome to our live text coverage of the Africa Cup of Nations Group D clash between Ivory Coast and Tunisia. There's just under 20 minutes to go until kickoff, but we've got managerial quotes and team news to serve up before then.
IVORY COAST: Barry, Tiene, Eboue, Bamba, Zokora, Romaric, Tiote, Y Toure, Kalou, Gervinho, Traore
No shortage of big names among the Ivorians' starting XI there. Expect Yaya Toure, Gervinho and Salomon Kalou to keep the Tunisia defence busy this afternoon. Didier Drogba takes up a place on the substitutes bench.
TUNISIA: Ben Cherifa, Ifa, Chammam, Abdennour, Hammami, Ben Yahia, Traoui, Mouelhi, Msakni, Ben Youssef, Khelifa
So Ivory Coast are the bookies' favourites not just to win today, but to secure this year's title. Tunisia will prove a tough test for them this afternoon, though. Expect highly-rated young striker Youssef Msakni to cause them some problems.
Here's what the two managers had to say ahead of the game...
Sabri Lamouchi: "We're going to try not to commit the same mistakes we did against Togo [on Tuesday]. I'm expecting a very difficult game and a better performance from my team. Our last performance wasn't representative of Ivorian football."
Sami Trabelsi: "Ivory Coast are a very good team but they're not unbeatable. Certainly they have some of, if not the best players in Africa. I don't understand why this generation of Ivorian players haven't won the Cup of Nations. But that proves that they must have some vulnerabilities."
The teams are heading out onto the pitch now. I think this could well be a contender for game of the tournament! The crowd at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium certainly thinks so if the sound out of them is anything to go by. A lot of empty seats, though.
The sound from those vuvuzelas makes it sound like a swarm of angry bees are descending on the stadium. I wonder how many people around the world are reaching for that mute button on their remote controls and switching on the subtitles?
We are under way here at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium. Both sides are a win away from qualifying from the group stages. Bring it on!
A quiet start to the game as both sides set their stalls out. Tunisia claim an early throw in the final third but it comes to nothing. Gervinho looks like he might find an opening at the other end but the Tunisia defence holds fast.
Tunisia skipper Chammam picks up the ball wide on the left and attempts to swing in a cross, which is blocked. Romaric claims the first effort on goal at the other end moments later, a long-range strike that forces Tunisia keeper Ben Cherifa into a save.
Siaka Tiene find Gervinho in the danger zone but Abdennour makes a vital interception. The ball eventually finds its way back to the Arsenal man and he goes on a surging run that almost forces an opening for the Ivorians.
The Ivorians attempt another break with Gervinho trying to pick out Traore with a through-ball. The move breaks down when the referee blows for a foul on Tunisian defender Abdennour, who did well to stand his ground there.
It's the Ivory Coast who have settled into this game. Gervinho, Kalou and Traore are ripping the Tunisian defence to shreds. They look like they want to kill this one off early. I think Tunisia's best hope is counter-attacking football, but they need to get off the back foot first.
CHANCE! The first clear-cut chance of the afternoon comes from a corner. Romaric swung one in from the left and Traore jumped highest, only to blaze his header over the bar. He should have hit the target with the space he was given.
SHOT! Another let-off for Tunisia as Gervinho plays in an excellent cross for Traore to head down in the area for Kalou, who shoots over from 12 yards out. He should have hit the target from there!
GOAL! Ivory Coast 1-0 Tunisia (Gervinho)
We have an opening goal and it has been coming for some time. Gervinho and Traore play a lovely one-two and the Arsenal man lashes one beyond Cherifia to claim his second goal in as many games.
They Ivory Coast are refusing to sit on their laurels. Cherifia has been called into action twice since the goal, intercepting successive crosses from Eboue and Kalou. Terrific attacking play from the Sabri Lamouchi's side. They are in complete control.
We haven't seen anything from the Tunisians in the final third yet. Ivory Coast keeper Boubacar Barry was just forced to race off his line to beat Chammam to a long ball, the shot-stopper getting their first without any problems.
BOOKING! Sol Bamba gets the first booking of the game for a late tackle on Ben Youssef. The referee was a little harsh to penalise him for that. Ben Youssef attempts to get onto the end of the resultant set piece but the delivery is poor and it goes out for a goal kick.
A half-chance for Tunisia as Khelifa whips in a dangerous cross, forcing Tiote to make an all-important interception. Two corners for the Tunisians follow, both of which are cleared.
That was really the first sign of any threat from Tunisia. This has been a confident performance from Ivory Coast, but an air of arrogance has crept into their game. I can see them becoming complacent as the clock runs down.
Yaya Toure wins the ball in midfield and attempts to pick out Tiene, who is dispossessed by Bilel Ifa. He timed his tackle just right to prevent the corner.
PENALTY APPEAL! It's a fairly strong one too. Tunisia's Chammam uses his arm to deflect a cross just inside the box. There was no intent there, but I've seen those given on countless occasions!
One minute of stoppage time to be played.
HALF-TIME: Ivory Coast 1-0 Tunisia
There can be no complaints about that half-time scoreline. The Ivory Coast have dominated from start to finish and look odds-on to make it through to the knockout stage. Tunisia have barely made it into their opponents half and looked short on ideas when they did make it that far.
Sami Trabelsi needs to change his gameplan in the second period because what the Tunisians have been doing simply hasn't worked. They have had no answer to the triple threat posed by Kalou, Gervinho and Traore.
Gervinho has been the stand-out performer for me thus far, delivering the kind of performance we all knew he was capable of, but has produced all too rarely in an Arsenal shirt. I wonder if the Gunners are missing him today? They are currently drawing 1-1 with Brighton in the FA Cup.
SUBSTITUTION: Tunisia have replaced Ben Youssef with FC Sion striker Dhaouadi for the second half in a bid to give them some bite upfront.
We are back under way!
CHANCE! Poor defending from Tunisia leaves Traore in the box unmarked as a long ball comes in. He gets his head to it but it's a weak effort that drifts behind. More wasteful play from him. He could have taken that down and had a shot!
CHANCE! It's a rare attack from the Tunisians which ends with Khalifa shooting wide under pressure from Bamba. An Ivory Coast move at the other end is stopped in its tracks when Gervinho drifts offside.
Khaled Mouelhi clears Kalou's headed pass to quash another attack from the Ivorians. Meanwhile, Didier Drogba is warming up on the touchline. Lamouchi's men need another goal to kill this contest and the former Chelsea forward might just be the one to get it.
Ivory Coast have the ball in the net as Gervinho bursts down the right flank and plays in a low ball for Kalou to smash home, but the offside flag was raised. The linesman was early with that and I think it may have been the wrong decision.
SUBSTITUTION: Another change for Tunisia as Harbaoui replaces Boussaidi. Ivory Coast's Bamba heads win from a corner moments after the switch.
Bamba was adjudged to have committed a foul when he went up for that header. He needs to watch his step after picking up that booking in the first half.
Zokora floats in a cross from wide on the right and Barry comes flying off his line to make the catch. A good, confident claim from the Ivory Coast goalkeeper.
Yaya Toure goes on a surging run towards goal but Abdennour stands his ground and holds him off, allowing Cherifa to claim the loose ball. Solid defending from the Tunisians, but they don't look like getting back into this as things stand.
SUBSTITUTION: Traore makes way for that man Didier Drogba as the Ivorians make a straight switch upfront. Will the former Chelsea man be the one to kill off the game?
Half-chance for Drogba as Gervinho finds him on the edge of the six-yard box, but his first touch let him down. He looked almost surprised to get a sniff at goal so soon after coming on.
SHOT! Darragi shoots from distance, failing to trouble Cherifa between the Tunisia sticks. Another Ivory Coast attack breaks down minutes later as Drogba strays offside.
BOOKING! Tiote becomes the second Ivorian to go into the book after committing a foul. I think the card was more for the dissent afterwards than the challenge itself.
A rare Tunisia corner is headed clear by Drogba. A follow-up attack breaks down when Bamba makes an emphatic clearance, blasting the ball into the stand.
Eboue is down injured and requires treatment on the field. It doesn't look too serious. Both sets of players take the opportunity to stock up on fluids while play has stopped.
SUBSTITUTION: Max Gradel replaces Kalou and the winger almost makes an immediate impact with a long-range effort that sails past the post. There has been reports linking him with a move to the Premiership and if that had been any closer, those rumours might just have intensified.
CHANCE! Oh my word! Tunisia almost snatch an equaliser against the run of play through an acrobatic effort from Khelifa. He did well take that one the volley but his effort was straight at Barry.
GOAL! Ivory Coast 2-0 Tunisia (Yaya Toure)
What a fantastic goal from Toure! Thumped into the corner from 22 yards out. Tunisia could have snatched an equaliser minutes earlier, but it's the Ivory Coast who kill the game off two minutes from time.
What a fantastic goal from Toure! Thumped into the corner from 22 yards out. Tunisia could have snatched an equaliser minutes earlier, but it's the Ivory Coast who kill the game off two minutes from time.
90 min GOAL! Ivory Coast 3-0 Tunisia (Konan)
90 min GOAL! Ivory Coast 3-0 Tunisia (Konan)
We have a late flurry of goals here as substitute Konan, who has only been on the pitch for a minute, puts the result beyond any doubt. Gervinho laid the ball for him on a plate with all the trimmings, and all he had to do was pull the trigger.
FULL-TIME: GOAL! Ivory Coast 3-0 Tunisia
The final score of 3-0 is a fair reflection of that one. Although the Ivory Coast were guilty of complacency at times, they were by far the better side overall. Tunisia were hit by a couple of suckerpunches at the end, but they barely created any chances.
And with six points from two games played, the Ivorians have booked their place in the knockout stage. Thanks all from me for the moment but do join us for Algeria vs Togo at 6.00pm.
Written by
Mark Langshaw
Mark Langshaw
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