(CNN) -- Ivory Coast, the perennial underachiever of the Africa Cup of Nations, began the 2013 tournament with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Togo on Tuesday.
After suffering a shock defeat in last year's final by Zambia, "Les Elephants" are hoping to finally end a 21-year wait for the title in this month's competition in South Africa.
Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure put Ivory Coast ahead in front of a small crowd in Rustenberg to ensure he has now scored in four successive Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
Africa Cup of Nations 2013: The teams
Jonathan Ayite leveled for Togo just before the break, but Arsenal forward Gervinho fired home a dramatic late winner to seal the points.
The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in South Africa on Saturday. It is one of the world's most exciting tournaments including players who ply their trade in some of Europe's top leagues. Among them is Fuad Ibrahim, a young American striker who once played for the U.S Under-17 and Under-20 teams.
Ethiopia's American boy
High flyer: Cape Verde's 'Special One'
Although happy with the result, Ivory Coast coach Sabri Lamouchi was left disappointed with his team's showing and has urged his players to learn from the contest.
"I was expecting something better from us -- it wasn't our best performance," Lamouchi told reporters.
"I thought the first match was going to be difficult, but it was much harder than I was envisaging.
"I'm happy with the win, but we made too many mistakes, and will have to use this game as a lesson."
Togo coach Didier Six was still fuming at the decision of the referee to disallow his side's effort with the scores level at 1-1 and made a hasty exit from the press conference.
"I think my team deserved something else than that. It wasn't right, the rules weren't respected," He told reporters:
Mourinho mentors Cape Verde's 'Special One'
Togo, ranked 63 places below Ivory Coast, should have taken an early lead when Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor raced clear on goal only to miss his kick and let Boubacar Barry save.
It was a mistake which was to be punished as Toure lashed home via a deflection to give Ivory Coast an eighth-minute lead.
Bwalya on Zambia's fateful final
Assou-Ekotto: Education is key
The African player of the year went close to doubling his side's advantage when his rasping effort hit the woodwork, but Togo drew level with just seconds of the first half remaining.
Serge Akakpo's corner caused mayhem inside the penalty area and Ayite fired the ball home past a helpless Barry.
Togo's "Sparrowhawks" then thought they had taken the lead when Dare Nibombe headed home a quickly taken corner, but the referee disallowed the effort after deeming the set-piece had been taken before the whistle had been blown.
That frustration was further increased when Gervinho met Toure's free-kick at the far post to sweep home an 88th-minute winner.
Fuad Ibrahim eyes Africa Cup of Nations chance
Tunisia triumph
In Tuesday's other match in Group D, Tunisia scored a 90th-minute winner to see off Algeria 1-0 at Rustenberg's Royal Bafokeng stadium.
Algeria dominated for much of the contest, but could not find a way through a stubborn Tunisia defense in the first meeting between the North African rivals in the tournament's 56-year history.
And with time running out, Youssef Msakni produced a breathtaking curling effort which flew into the net and spark wild celebrations.
Ethiopia fined
Meanwhile, tournament organizers confirmed that Ethiopia has been fined $10,000 after its fans threw missiles onto the field of play during Monday's 1-1 draw with defending champion Zambia.
The incident took place after Ethiopia goalkeeper Jemal Tassew was shown a straight red card during the first half.
A statement on the tournament website read: "After the expulsion of the goalkeeper, the Ethiopian spectators threw all sort of missiles at the field of play (plastic bottles, vuvuzelas....etc).
"The Board decided to impose a financial sanction on Ethiopia amounting to $10,000, nevertheless, the board decided to suspend 5,000 USD on condition that Ethiopia is not found guilty of a similar offense until the end of the tournament (Article 83.3 of CAF Disciplinary Code)."
Loading weather data ...
© 2013 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Ibrahim, seen here lining up for Toronto in the MLS, has been chosen to play for the Ethiopia national team at the Africa Cup of Nations.
According to Thomas Rongen, who was then the coach of the U.S. Under-20 team, Ibrahim was one of the most talented young players to come through the national set up. But things did not work out and, after dropping down to the NASL with his hometown club the Minnesota Stars, Ibrahim was released at the end of last season.
Despite being a free agent Ibrahim was contacted by the Ethiopian Football Federation to see whether he would like to play for the country of his birth. After thinking about it, he agreed and joined the team's training camp in Addis Ababa.
As a newcomer, and someone who doesn't speak much of the language, Ibrahim had to win his squad mates over. His first start was against Tanzania, where he scored in a 2-1 victory.
Ethiopia's qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations is not the only football success that the country is enjoying. They have secured four points in their first two 2014 World Cup qualification matches, including a 1-1 draw against South Africa.
The image most people have of Ethiopia is of the devastating famine in the mid-1980s that killed millions of people. Ibrahim's family survived and left for the U.S. in the 1990s for a better life and more opportunities for their young son.
Ibrahim is not the first U.S. soccer star to move abroad. National teams across the world, including Palestine, Haiti and Afghanistan, have tapped into their American diasporas to bolster their squads. Omar Jarun (pictured center, who was born in Kuwait to an American mother and Palestinian father, was raised in Georgia but now plays for the Palestinian national soccer team.
|