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Ivory Coast beats N Korea 3-0

By The Assam Tribune

NELSPRUIT, June 25:Yaya Toure, Koffi Romaric N'Dri and Salomon Kalou all scored for Ivory Coast in a 3-0 win over North Korea at the World Cup, but the Elephants still won't advance to the round of 16.

Ivory Coast started Friday needing a big win and a Portugal loss to Brazil to have any chance of moving on. But Brazil and Portugal tied 0-0, putting the Portuguese into the next round.

Ghana is the only one of six African teams in the World Cup to advance to the round of 16. North Korea lost all three of its matches, giving up 12 goals and scoring just one.

While they won't move ahead, the bigger, more muscular Ivorians didn't disappoint a supportive crowd of than 34,000 crowd, finishing their tournament by attacking all day against North Korea. There were large groups of Ivorians in the crowd, wearing orange shirts and dipping and swaying in unison to the beat of African drums and the constant drone of vuvuzelas. One section, on the top tier of Mbombela Stadium, even included a mascot: a dancing white elephant, complete with long white trunk and flapping ears.

The fans came expecting goals, and Ivory Coast kept them on their feet.

The Elephants opened the scoring in the 14th when Arthur Boka sent a low cross into the area and Toure neatly deflected it past North Korean goalkeeper Ri Yong Guk.

Romaric hit the far past with a long-range drive from the right in the 17th, catching Ri completely off guard, but was on target with a header in the 20th after Drogba's powerful drive cannoned off the underside of the crossbar. Kalou scored the final goal in the 82nd.

North Korea had few serious scoring opportunities. Captain Hong Yong Jo hooked his free kick from 25 yards to the right in the 24th and striker Jong Tae Se's long-range right-foot shot in the 53rd was easily saved by Boubacar Barry. Jong had a chance in the 81st, but he couldn't properly connect with Hong's pass and was unable to get a shot on the rebound.

It was a disappointment for the fast and hardworking Jong, nicknamed "The People's Rooney" in Korea, where his play has been compared with England striker Wayne Rooney.

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