That was a superb match, with Ivory Coast showing their class after an abysmal start to the game and DR Congo reinforcing their status as dangerous outsiders. Both teams are still on course for the last 16, though the Ivory Coast in particular are cutting it a bit fine. Thanks for your company; night!
Full time: Ivory Coast 2-2 DR Congo
Peep peep!
90+2 min Kalou has a brilliant goal disallowed for offside! It was the right decision, just about. It was also an outstanding volley from Kalou to adroitly convert a long, curling free-kick from a deep position on the right.
90+1 min There will be three added minutes.
90 min Another corner to the Ivory Coast on the right. Kessie’s low outswinger is flicked imaginatively behind his standing leg by Aurier at the near post, and Matampi makes a comfortable save.
89 min Zaha skips down the right and drags a low cross to Kalou, whose first-time shot is deflected behind for a corner. Kessie’s corner is cleared.
87 min What a chance for Aurier! Kessie’s inswinging corner from the left found him unmarked at the near post, but he mistimed his header across goal and Zaha couldn’t force it in. Aurier should have scored.
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86 min The tireless Kessie breaks down the left to win a corner for the Ivory Coast. The pressure is relentless.
84 min Another long-range blast from Serey Die is blocked. DR Congo look absolutely shattered now; they don’t even have the energy to try to counter-attack.
82 min The Ivory Coast get a free-kick 30 yards out. Kalou hits a feeble effort a few yards wide.
79 min Mubele earns DR Congo a breather with a comical dive. During the break in play, Jonathan Bolingi replaces the superb Kabananga.
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77 min Zaha’s mishit cross from the left sneaks over Matampi and just clears the crossbar.
77 min An Ivory Coast substitution: Salomon Kalou replaces the excellent Gradel.
76 min DR Congo are starting to look tired, with an Ivory Coast winner looking increasingly likely.
73 min Gradel’s set-pieces have caused trouble all day, and this time he hits a dipping right-wing corner that flashes across the box off the head of Aurier.
72 min A double substitution for DR Congo: Youssouf Mulumbu and Remi Mulumba replace Maghoma and Ikoko. Mulumba plays for Ajaccio, once the club of Cyrille Makanaky and Carlos Kaiser.
69 min A draw would still leave Ivory Coast in a bit of trouble, depending on the result tonight, but one point is better than none. Obviously.
GOAL! Ivory Coast 2-2 DR Congo (Serey Die 66)
It might have been 3-1; instead it’s 2-2. The captain Serey Die surges forward from midfield before hitting a 20-yard shot that takes a big deflection off Tisserand and wrongfoots the keeper Matampi.
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66 min Another chance for Ivory Coast! Ikoko played a curling pass down the right towards Mubele that was hopelessly misread by Kanon. That allowed Mubele to scoot into the area on the right. He had Mbokani waiting for a tap-in at the far post, but the ball took a nasty bounce and Mubele sliced his cross into the hands of Gbohouo.
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65 min The first yellow card of the match goes to Franck Kessie for a foul on Mbemba.
61 min The influential Gradel plays a good square pass to find Doukoure in space 30 yards from goal. He gets it out of his feet and hits a deflected low shot that is palmed away by the diving Matampi.
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55 min Mubele almost makes it 3-1 with a sensational solo goal. He retrieved a nothing ball on the right before turning infield and muscling past Kanon and Gradel. That took him into the box, where he swerved away from Kessie and struck a rising drive from a narrow angle that rippled the side netting.
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52 min DR Congo are content to sit deep and counter-attack, an approach that has worked pretty well so far. The Ivory Coast have created very little in open play.
48 min What a chance for the substitute Deli! Gradel curled in a superb free-kick from the right; Deli got to it first, in plenty of space 10 yards from goal, and flicked a downward header just wide of the far post. He should probably have scored.
48 min You have to work hard to get booked in this match. Kabananga does his best with a cynical tug on Zaha, but the referee keeps his yellow card untouched.
46 min DR Congo begin the second half, kicking from right to left. Ivory Coast have made a half-time substitution, with Simon Deli on for Adama Traore.
A bit of half-time reading
Half time: Ivory Coast 1-2 DR Congo
That was lots of fun, for neutrals and DR Congo fans anyway. Ivory Coast are 45 minutes away from a major problem. See you soon for the second half.
45 min A superb bit of sweeper-keeping from Gbohouo, who charges 35 yards from his goal to clear a dangerous through ball towards Kabananga.
42 min Gradel is clattered by Ikoko, who might have been booked for that. Ivory Coast have been much better in the second half of this first half. They will hope to buOH MY EFFING LORD DONALD TRUMP IS ACTUALLY THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT.
41 min Aurier curls a 25-yard free-kick straight at Matampi. It was well struck but too straight.
40 min Zaha surges at Issama, who produces an excellent sliding tackle. He has defended very well.
39 min If Ivory Coast lose today they wouldn’t be out of the competition, but it would leave them in considerable trouble - especially if Togo beat Morocco tonight.
35 min This has turned into a terrific game. Ivory Coast are in Big Ron’s wide awake club now, attacking with an urgency that borders on desperation.
33 min “I don’t want to distract you from the game,” says Charles Antaki, “but you should know that in a dramatic development, Donald Trump has renounced the office of president in favour of Elvis Presley, who has emerged from a space vehicle that has just landed in front of the White House.”
Next you’ll be telling me Leicester won the Premier League last year.
30 min Gradel’s deep cross drops over the head of Issama to Zaha, who is slightly unsighted and miscontrols the ball out of play. That was an opportunity for the Ivory Coast.
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GOAL! Ivory Coast 1-2 DR Congo (Kabananga 28)
DR Congo are back in front! Not even Quasimodo predicted this! Tisserand starts the move by pinging a flat crossfield ball to Mubele on the right, a really superb pass. He runs at Traore before teasing a delightful cross beyond the far post, where Kabananga is criminally unmarked and rises to head firmly past Gbohouo.
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27 min “Out of curiosity,” says Prancing Hog, “are you watching this game live from Stade d’Oyem?” I wish, Prancing, I wish.
GOAL! Ivory Coast 1-1 DR Congo (Bony 26)
This is an excellent spell for the Ivory Coast, who have come to life after an abysmal start - and now they are level! Gradel curls a left-wing corner towards the near post, where Bony rises emphatically to power a header across goal and into the net.
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24 min Gradel’s cross is dropped by Matampi at the feet of Bony, but he doesn’t react quickly enough and Matampi claims it at the second attempt.
22 min Bony misses a good chance to make it 1-1. Aurier, lurking near the halfway line on the right, curled a superb high pass over the defence to put Bony clear on goal. He had to take it first time just inside the box, and tried to lob his header over the keeper Matampi. He got the length right but not the line, and it drifted wide of the near post.
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22 min There is something uniquely beautiful about goals like Kebano’s, half-volleys that barely leave the floor as they whistle past the keeper. Here’s the masterpiece of the genre:
21 min “You’re not alone, Rob,” says TM Abdelhamid. “This match is of particular interest here as Egypt might very well play either of the two teams should the Pharaohs play their next couple of games way better than they did their opener against Mali. Theoretically this is the Elephants’ game, but the Leopards are not going to let go of their initial group lead that easily.”
19 min As good as DR Congo have been, Ivory Coast look like they couldn’t give a flying one! The lack of urgency and competence is almost startling.
18 min Some nice footwork from the lively Mubele, who is booted up in the air by Doukoure for his impudence. That might have been a yellow card.
17 min “This game promises to be much better than Trump’s swearing in,” says Jamie Hitchen. “My money is on DRC to win the tournament and I expect them to win today. Decent players in most positions, plenty of goals in the team (they scored a lot of goals in qualifying for Afcon 2017) and they are world-ranked 49th.”
They have been excellent so far - hungry, organised and full of menace on the counter-attack.
14 min DR Congo have been much the better side so far. Ivory Coast seem to be suffering from the same inertia that was evident in their first game.
That really was a superb goal. A longish throw from the left was well controlled by Kabananga in the box. He flicked the ball back to Kebano, who arrived late in the box and then, as it bounced, belted it across Gbohouo and into the far corner.
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GOAL! Ivory Coast 0-1 DR Congo (Kebano 9)
What a strike! Neeskens Kebano of Fulham scorches a half-volley into the far corner to give DR Congo the lead!
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9 min Mubele wins the first corner of the match with a decisive run down the left. The DR Congo corner is a poor one and volleyed away by Bony.
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8 min “Here with you mate!” writes my good friend Prancing Hog. “What’s your prediction for the game? The Elephants’ forward line should be too good to take them thru. 2-0 is how I predict this match going.”
I think Congo might sneak this 1-0. But, strictly between us, I’ve not a clue what I’m talking about.
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7 min Zaha overhits a cross straight out of play. He was lively in the first game, when he was surprisingly substituted, and you can already see that he is trying to make something happen.
6 min It’s been a really sleepy start to the game, as it was when the Ivory Coast drew their opening match with Togo. Whatever happened to the fast start?
3 min DR Congo have started confidently and with most of the possession, albeit all in non-dangerous areas.
1 min Peep peep! The Ivory Coast kick off from right to left. They are in orange and green; DR Congo are wearing white.
Anyone out there? Come on, this has got to be more uplifting than the Trump liveblog.
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Team news
Ivory Coast (4-3-3) Gbohouo; Aurier, Kanon, Bailly, Traore; Doukoure, Kessie, Serey Die; Zaha, Bony, Gradel.
DR Congo (4-2-3-1) Matampi; Bope, Issama, Ikoko, Tisserand; Maghoma, Mbemba; Kabananga, Kebano, Mubele; Mbokani.
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Hello. You spend years building up to something and it’s over in a trice. Enough about the teenage boy’s preferred rite of passage, because the same rules apply to international tournaments. All that planning, all those spreadsheets, and for half the teams it’s over before you can say ‘knockout football’.
The second round of group games is when flip gets real, and it becomes apparent which sides are likely to progress. It was fine for the Ivory Coast to start the defence of their title with a tedious 0-0 draw with Togo, but if they fail to beat DR Congo today they will be in not insignificant danger of going home in a few days’ time. DR Congo top the group after a win over Morocco in their first game; another would ensure their quarter-final place.
Kick off is at 4pm.
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