RUSTENBURG - Ivory Coast have all but booked their place in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals after beating Tunisia.The Elephants deservedly took the lead when Gervinho clinically finished off a superb one-two with Lacina Traore.Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure made it 2-0 with a stunning curler into the far corner from 20 yards.And substitute Didier Ya Konan put further gloss on the Ivorians’ victory when he rolled the ball home with virtually his first touch.The result means Ivory Coast lead Group D on six points and are unlikely to finish lower than second. Tunisia remain on three points and will have an eager eye on Saturday’s late game between Algeria and Togo.Having failed to hit top form in their opening 2-1 win against Togo, questions were being asked about whether an ageing Ivory Coast team would be able to finally win another title after losing on penalties in the 2006 and 2012 finals.Didier Drogba, who missed a crucial penalty against Zambia in the final last year, was dropped for the first time in his international career - a huge signal of intent from coach Sabri Lamouchi.And, right from the off, the Elephants looked determined to prove their doubters wrong as they set about Tunisia, who looked overawed and nothing like the team that beat Algeria in their opener.Agencies
