Summary Ivory Coast moved closer to the second round at the African Cup of Nations by beating Tunisia 3-0.
Ivory Coast moved closer to the second round at the African Cup of Nations by beating Tunisia 3-0 despite captain Didier Drogba being stuck on the bench for most of Saturday s match.
Gervinho opened the scoring after a one-two combination with Lacina Traore in the 21st minute, Yaya Toure doubled the lead with a powerful shot in the 87th and substitute Didier Ya Konan sealed the victory from inside the area in the 90th.
Drogba, who had a lackluster performance in the team s opener, came on in the 67th but created few opportunities.
The win may be enough to secure the Elephants a spot in the quarterfinals, depending on the result of the match between Algeria and Togo later Saturday. The Elephants have six points in Group D, while Tunisia stayed with three. Algeria and Togo were yet to win points.
Ivory Coast will close against Algeria, and Tunisia will face Togo.
Drogba, the biggest star entering the tournament, was surprisingly absent in the Ivory Coast lineup. He didn t appear injured and participated in warm-up drills, but was not included by coach Sabri Lamouchi among the starters. He was replaced by Solomon Kalou.
Drogba was quiet in the team s opening match, being substituted in the 74th minute. Didier Zokora was named the captain against Tunisia.
