Match 46: Korea DPR x Cote d'Ivoire, in-game PBP thread

01' 0-0 #19 Yaya Touré, at 25m box right, threads a vertical through-ball to 12m 6-right, as #18 Kader Keita sprints through DPRK's flat back line at box top. He shoots mid-high, and #1 Ri Myong-Guk palms it straight up, then catches it. Egad.

 

Chance for Cote d’Ivoire From Kéita Min.2
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10' 0-0 Good pass to 16m box left plays #10 Gervinho past DPRK's right flank. He sprints 1-v-1 down box left, and momentarily looks so open that all his teammates stop. He can't stop ball until the endline, has no angle, pokes wistfully under #1 Ri and across the goal mouth, literally 1 diameter off the line -- and #11 Didier Drogba arrives way late. Odd: Finally some CIV pressure just past the right post, and DPRK awkwardly clear it into right touch, and still only about 1m from the endline.

11' 0-0 Cross from 20m right, #11 Didier Drogba has a one-step lead on the 2nd-last defender at 8m slightly left -- heads in at right post mid-high, but offside.

12' 0-0 DPRK emerge from their shell and get all the way down the field for once. #10 Hong Yong-Jo takes a contested shot in the box, saved and cleared.

 

My wife just asked, "which one is Ivory Coast and which one if North Korea?"



Ivory Coast 1-0 North Korea, Y. Toure btw...

 

13' 0-1 CIV play left-toward-center to #19 Yaya Touré at box top. He shoots far post and curls it just around #1 Ri Myong-Guk's leftward dive.

17' 0-1 #13 Romaric, at 20m just wide of box top right, blasts a low curl to left post -- off the post, and skitters wide.

 

First Goal For Cote d’Ivoire By Touré Min.14
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what is going on here? North Korea again not bunkering?

 

20' 0-2 CIV lob from 25m wide left toward #11 Didier Drogba in a 1-v-1 at 14m right post, with back to goal. Drogba executes a flabbergasting over-the-shoulder trap-and-spin away from his man, blasts a rocket from 9m right post -- off the crossbar and down to 1m, then bounces about 5m up to 8m left post. Drogba turns his back to the goal and raises both arms to the AR. #13 Romaric squares up under the ball, and heads it just inside the left post high.

 

Third Goal For Cote d’Ivoire By Romaric Min.20
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24' 0-2 North Korea carry upfield, fouled at 24m top arc right. #10 Hong Yong-Jo curls it toward the upper left corner, and just misses by ~2 diameters high and wide left.

North Korea isn't exactly "bunkering" -- they do try to swarm forward once they get the ball. But it looks like they got humbled by the 7-0, and have re-committed to playing their amoeba defense first and foremost. So when CIV have the ball, DPRK just retreat behind midfield.

 

32' 0-2 #21 Emmanuel Eboué dribbles way up the right on an overlap, toasts his man on a three-step stop-start sprint duel. Lobs a high cross from 15m way right to 13m slightly outside the 6-left. #18 Kader Keita sees it coming, sets up, and delivers a mighty crescent-kick roundhouse half-volley -- but blasts it way high. Oh, no! He rushed the volley

 

N.B. ô = Alt-<numeric>0244

35' 0-2 Côte d'Ivoire has shown an overwhelming 1-v-1 foot speed advantage. About 4 of them have simply burned their guy in a 1-v-1, and a couple of times they've been 1-v-2 and outrun both. This really messes up DPRK's "bunker" -- even with 9 guys back, they still can't shut down their own flanks.

36' 0-2 #11 Didier Drogba is "trapped" at box right foot by 2 defenders, and all his teammates stop. He fends them off for a couple seconds, lures them in too-close to his ankles, then conjures up a dainty drag-forward through the 1.5-diameter gap between the endline defender and the endline, as he splits them like walking through a subway turnstile -- and he's in alone on goal at 1m 6-right And has no supporting runs whatsoever, and DPRK swarm him 1-v-5 and clear. And he's waving his two arms at all his teammates: Make runs, eh, don't just stand there --

38' 0-2 #10 Gervinho gets sprung through box top right, carries to 6-top right, shoots hard left post but just too wide, glances off the post again.

 

No, they are.

 

46' 0-2 Almost off the 2nd-half kick-off, CIV lob down the left, and #10 Gervinho burns his defender 1-v-1 to the endline. Crosses to 3m just inside the 6-left, #18 Kader Keita leaps in as #1 Ri Myong-Guk lunges out, and it looks like Keita's right-foot poke rakes Ri's fingers. Both go down in pain. Trainers examine Keita's foot and Ri's hands/face. Both resume.

 

52' 0-2 #21 Emmanuel Eboué overlaps to 4m just outside box right, splits two guys, and saunters into the box deep right. Crosses hard at 2m, beats #1 Ri and rolls across half the goal mouth, then cleared. DPRK gave up that 1-v-2 penetration again

 

64' 0-2 #18 Kader Keita leads a break down the box right edge to 10m, crosses at the 6-top to #10 Gervinho at 6-top center with a half-step lead, misses ahead of him by just 1 diameter.

 

5 Defenders back there. I dont think IC is going to score much more. Good work though.

 

Chance for Cote d’Ivoire From Romaric Min.68
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76' 0-2 Well, Côte d'Ivoire has sent in about a half-dozen great crosses and box-top chances, and they've lost their final touch. Way off the goal-per-10-minutes pace now DPRK has created a few decent looks on goal, producing a handful of fairly routine shots right at #1 Boubacar Barry (whom I must mention at least once)

Still, I'm glad I chose to watch this game instead of the other one. From ESPN's GameCast, it sounds like Por-Bra is even more dour and cynical. Too many milli-egos per square meter ...

 

82' 0-3 #3 Arthur Boka overlaps up the left past midfield, dribbles in acres of space to 27m (= 5 mowed stripes) box left edge, head up all the way. Lifts a high forward cross to split DPRK's back line to 6-top center waist-high, #8 Salomon Kalou sprints through their gap and leaping-pokes it past a charging #1 Ri Myong-Guk.

 

oops wrong thread

 

Third Goal For Cote d’Ivoire By Kalou Min.83
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86' 0-3 CIV loft another long forward ball from ~25m slightly left to the 6-top. #7 Seydou Doumbia, in heavy traffic, gets a touch that deflects to #15 Aruna Dindane in an offside position at 2m right post. He lifts his left leg waist-high and sweeps in at the right post, and gets flagged.