Another draw.. Portugal v Ivory Coast Nil all.

Group G, 14:00 GMT, June 15, 2010
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth, South Africa


Ivory Coast
0 - 0
Portugal


Ronaldo, who has not scored an international goal in 16 months, rattled a post with a blistering early strike, but that was as close as his side came to snatching victory on a frustrating afternoon at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

Scoring Summary

Ivory Coast	Portugal

Match Stats

Ivory Coast

Portugal

9(2)	Shots (on Goal)	7(1)
17	Fouls	14
6	Corner Kicks	4
2	Offsides	1
45%	Time of Possession	55%
2	Yellow Cards	1
0	Red Cards	0
1	Saves	2

Match Information

Stadium:	Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Attendance:	37,034
Match Time:	14:00 GMT
Official(s):	Jorge Larrionda (Referee)

MATCH SUMMARY

Man of the Match: Not awarded.

One of the commentators on the game said: ''Entertainment was not on the agenda today'' and he was quite right. In truth, no player did enough to merit the award and a match that promised much, delivered little.

Ivory Coast verdict: Unable to get to grips with either the ball or the pitch, the Ivorian players constantly gave the ball away by overhitting their passes. No prolonged attacking pressure meant that they didn't threaten much up front and were solid enough at the back to stop what little Portugal offered.

Portugal verdict: Apart from the 11th minute shot that hit the post, Portugal hardly troubled the Ivorian defence. Ronaldo drifted in and out of the game and the fluid Portuguese front three were not able to maintain enough possession in the final third to mount a serious attack.

Could do better: The pitch. The grass for the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium was grown, off-site, at St Albans but it didn't seem to help. Large chunks of turf continued to fly up throughout the match and it made controlling or dribbling the ball even harder for the players - perhaps a reason for their dismal showing. The new Wembley?

Stat attack: Ivory Coast averaged 3.2 goals per game during qualifying with Drogba, just 1.9 without their captain. It is just the second time in 20 World Cup matches that Portugal has finished 0-0.