Ivory Coast hold sluggish Portugal

Port Elizabeth: Portugal got their World Cup finals off to a stuttering start with a goalless draw against a spirited Ivory Coast on Tuesday, a match that saw the return of Didier Drogba only 11 days after breaking his arm.

Semi-finalists at the 2006 finals, Portugal struggled to make a serious impact and made their job of advancing from a fierce Group G -- which includes Brazil and North Korea -- no easier in a fluid match that yielded only a handful of goalscoring chances.

The Elephants opted to start without Drogba, who was yet to fully recover following surgery, but he came on as a substitute after 66 minutes to a rapturous reception by the Port Elizabeth crowd.

Image:Cristiano Ronaldo and Guy-Roland Demel enter into an eyeball to eyeball confrontation. At right is Emmanuel Eboue and at left, Kolo Toure.

Text: Reuters

Images: AP

Coverage: FIFA World Cup