LiveBlog: Ivory Coast-Serbia and Montenegro

In a classic game that had no meaning but plenty of excitement, Ivory Coast picked up its first World Cup win. This is the last time we see a team called Serbia and Montenegro and they end their World Cup campaign with no wins. You can read the play-by-play below and add your comments about the game.

Final: Ivory Coast 3-2 Serbia and Montenegro

Full time In their final game of their initial World Cup, Ivory Coast comes away with the win. It was a strange and entertaining game with no shortage of injuries, cards and other oddities. Ivory Coast continued to play an attractive, attacking style, while Serbia and Montenegro just couldn’t keep up with their pace especially playing a man down for the final 45. Thanks for joining me. See you tomorrow. Same place. Same time.

90+Cyril Domoraud show a second yellow and we end this game with another player being sent off. The ref rears his oily ugly head one last time.

90 Three minutes of added time. That should give the ref at least another 2:15 of tv time.

89:12 While Kalou was taking that penalty kick the Ivory Coast keeper was looking at his own goal post and didn’t even see the kick. You would think he would want to see his mate score.

88:32 Still no score in the other game. Five goals for us. Zero goals for them. We win, we win, we win.

87:12 Does Serbia and Montenegro have anything left in the tank to try to get the equalizer? Magic 8 ball sez: not likely.

85:45 Should come as no surprise that the referee has played a big role in this game. Two penalty kicks for Ivory Coast and an S&M player sent off, along with countless cards.

84:45 GOALLLL!!! Bonaventure Kalou calmly nails it. And the elephant dance comes out again.

83:55 Hand ball in the box for Serbia and Montenegro. That was a tough call but they are awarded a penalty kick.

83:05 Yaya Toure gets his head on every single corner. Too bad he can’t get the ball anywhere near the goal.

82:45 A. Kone goes down and his white hair just doesn’t do it for me. Direct kick from outside the area for Ivory Coast. It is blasted out and they get a corner.

81:45 I will be seeing this referee in my nightmares for years to come. The hair, the shirt, the attention grabbing hand wave….oh the horror.

80:02 This is the 17oth minute of liveblogging today and I think I can make it another ten. My fingers have worked their way into World Cup shape. Can’t wait to do two more games tomorrow. Hope you can join me.

78:34 Corner kick to Ivory Coast. Do they have another one left in them? Yaya heads its wide. Yaya yaya yaya yaya

78:02 The crowd looks silly with its rain gear on. I would trade places with them though. Nothing beats going to a World Cup game in person.

76:23 Our other liveblogger Chris is shooting me evil looks because his game sucks and mine does not. Free kick for Serbia from far out. Dejan Stankovic gets his head on it and misses it badly. Should have burried that.

74:32 Yaya Toure with the header off the corner and he doesn’t nail it. I could say Yaya Toure all day long and it would still sound cool.

74:12 The referee is letting them play a bit and we can all be thankful for that. Ivory Coast is pushing forward while Serbia is trying to grasp onto straws. This game will be a draw or an Ivory Coast victory.

72:34 Sub for Ivory Coast. Kader Keita out and Bonaventure Kalou is in. I like Kalou and his brother too.

70:54 Ilija Petkovic looking like he is ready to walk the gangplank into a sea of sharks. His days as coach are numbered.

70:15 A long range shot by Ivory Coast is on target but the keeper is there.

70:02 While we have seen four goals and tons of action, the other game is scoreless and painful. Hooray for us.

68:45 Now we can see if Serbia and Montenegro has any courage or whether they will fold faster than a cheap tent. Ivory Coast will not stop attacking. That is a promise.

67:45 We got to see the Elephant dance after the goal with Drogba joining in the celebration. That was worth the price of admission for this free game.

66:13 GOALLLL! Header on the cross. Dindane with his second of the game.

65:34 Another minute, another couple of Ivory Coast shots. They are desperate for an equalizer. Playing a man up. Savo Milosevic in for Nikola Zigic at forward. There goes the tall, gangly dude. Darn. He was fun to watch.

64:21 Both teams are history after tonight but they haven’t let us down with their effort in this contest. Throw in a joker ref and this hasn’t been as painful as it could have been. Much better than Costa Rica-Poland, which I liveblogged yesterday.

62:51 Dindane misses a header by a microcentimeter. Wow, that was close.

62:25 Ivory Coast is controlling the game this half but Serbia is showing why it is a good defensive team. They look like they will crack though. If I had money to wager I’d say the Elephants will score before this one is over. Whadda u think?

59:45 A. Kone has a crack but his shot at fame and fortune goes wide left. Now that there are two guys named Kone in the game all has gone to hell. The ref’s face is glowing like a lightbulb. Wow, scary.

59:20 Bakary Kone on for Akale as the Elephants go for more offense. I like this guy Kone.

58:56 Ivory Coast can be breathtaking in transition. One second they are on defense and the next they are at the other end of the field screwing up on the shot.

56:25 Goran Gavrancic booked for kicking the player in the midsection. I wish I has a Euro for every yellow card. Free kick to Ivory Coast. It hits the wall and the follow up shot is saved by the Serbia keeper. Close call there.

55:56 The game is not as frenetic as in the first half but compared to the other game this one is like it is being played on fast forward. Ivory Coast not doing much to take advantage of the extra man.

54:34 When the players hit the turf in this game they slide and slide. Serbia coach looking like he could use a beer. I’m set in that department. My blood is a steady stream of hops.

54:12 No Beckenbauer sighting at this game. Maradona is of course at the other game. Serbia could use him in their attack. Tomorrow is the 20th anniversary of the Hand of God.

52:34 We’ve gone seven minutes without a card. A personal record for this ref. He’ll probably do the final given the way cards are being handed out this tournament.

51:45 This game is so exciting that my computer is overheating. Drogba on the bench looking pained. He would like to play against S&M a man up.

49:35 Ivory Coast using the extra man to roll it around and to set up their attack. S&M looks content sitting back and letting the men in orange boot it into the stands behind the goal.

48:37 Look at all those empty seats by the side of the field. The fat cats couldn’t even bother to show up. A pity. I would have used one of those tickets.

47:56 Another inexplicable call by the ref leaves players from both sides shaking their heads. Near chance for Ivory Coast but they are offside.

46:47 I would hate to be a fan of Argentina or Netherlands right now. They don’t know what they are missing. You can take your round of 16 and eat it.

45:56 Should be fun to see how this Ivory Coast attack fares against a Serb team that is playing nine behind the ball. The referee, by the way, looks freshly oiled this half. That is the last I will say about that.

45:01 We’re back underway in Munich for the second half for what is going to go down as the greatest game in the history of games between Serbia and Montenegro and Ivory Coast. S&M will play a man down this half but you get the feeling this oily ref is going to even it up by sending off an Elephant. Thanks for tuning in. You are all my friends.

Here’s someone who should be sent home with these two teams after the game:

Halftime The other game might have the marquee teams, but this game has been nothing short of entertaining. The rain and referee are turning this into a barnburner. Serbia and Montenegro will play a man down in the second half so we should see more fun. I’m off to learn how to type. I will be back at the start of the second half. Leave your comments about the first half if you are so inclined.

45+ Albert Nadj gets his second yellow and he is sent off. Serbia will play the second half a man down. There has been five yellow cards since the 39th minute mark (I think). Crazy

44:45 This first half has had just about everything you would want. Broken arms, penalty kicks, goals, yellow cards galore, a 6′8″ player and nipple sightings.

43:20 I don’t think Dindane dived. He slipped on the pitch and fell. I wouldn’t have called that. I also would never use that much oil on my hair. This ref is all over the place.

42:56 This game is really a Group of Death game. The ref gives Dindane a yellow for diving in the box.

41:45 Predrag Djordjevic taken down just outside the Ivory Coast box and the ref is all over it. Just outside the box free kick for S&M. Poorly hit ball.

40:23 Another great shot from the Elephants with Dindane hitting one that the Serbia keeper saves. This game has won me over.

39:22 This has to be one of the strangest games of the competition. Players are getting killed left and right. The ref is prancing around. Ivory Coast is dominating the play but Serbia is winning.

37:51 Igor Duljaj shown a yellow just because the ref hasn’t been on tv for a minute. Ivory Coast with the direct kick. Useless kick.

36:04 GOALLLLL!!! Dindane takes it again and hits it in the same spot. Take that, Mr. Oily Hair Ref!

35:12Aruna Dindane takes the penalty kick and hits it in the corner but he had to retake it. This ref is a wanker.

34:12 Ivory Coast continues to attack and the puddles are splashing. I won’t need to shower just from watching this game. Milan Dudic picks up a yellow for a hand ball in the box. Blatant hand ball.

32:56 Kader Keita picks up the yellow card for sliding 30 feet on the wet pitch. That looked like a lot of fun. Not sure why it is a yellow other than the damage he did to the turf.

31:56 Igor Duljaj gets kicked in the stomach by his own man and now he is showing us his six pack. This game shouldn’t be viewed by childen under the age of 17.

30:42 Still scoreless in that other game. Take that suckas!

30:02 Nikola Zigic is like a 6′8″ bobble head doll. He is Peter Crouch without the talent. He can’t even robot. He can score though as we saw earlier.

28:10 Eboue was ready to pounce on one byt the Serbia keeper took it away. This oily ref is a camera hog. He is making the Serb keeper get rid of his towel. If his hair is going to be ruined so will the players.

27:17 Ivory Coast is dominating possession but S&M is leading where it matters. Corner kick Elephants. The Serbia chants are ringing out.

25:46 When you have two televisions side-by-side and you see orange and blue on both it is better than taking acid. My eyes are confused. Great time to be alive.

24:56 If your car is dirty take it to Munich tonight and it will be cleaned by Mother Nature. Now Ivory Coast is down on the turf. This game isn’t for the weak.

23:53 Too bad more people aren’t watching this game. Lots of up and down action and serious injuries. Zigic down for the Plavi and it doesn’t look good. The wet track isn’t helping tonight.

22:12 Nice to see some comments down below. I was starting to think my talk of nipples, beer, S&M, oily refs and the meaning of life were scaring you off. Now I just know it is my poor typing and lack of football knowledge. And that other game, of course.

20:29 Ivory Coast with two mistakes and Serbia has two goals. The Elephants keeper is not exactly Oliver Kahn circa 2002. More like Oliver Kahan circa 2006.

19:29 GOALLLL!! Sasa Ilic takes a misplayed ball and beats the keeper who looked clueless.

18:36 Ivory Coast has tons of chances on a wide open goal and they miss. You couldn’t miss like that if you tried.

18:34 Ivory Coast might not come away with any points in this tournament but I would place them ahead of Ghana and Angola. Togo a distant fourth.

17:12 Free kick for Ivory Coast outside the box. It is hit in and cleared away. Have I mentioned that orange and blue uniforms look nice together? Struggling here…

16:02 No amount of magic spray will ever fix what happened to Krstajic. That is a shame. Tough way to end your World Cup especially with your team winning. Nadj on to take his place.

14:23 Bodies flying everywhere. Mladen Krstajic on the ground in a lot of pain. Looks like he has separated a shoulder but that is just my guess. Ugly to see something like that happen to a quality player.

12:45 Ivory Coast in the now familiar position of playing from behind. They are passing it nicely and this is one team that won’t fold its tents.

12:21 If you blog in a forest and no one hears you are you still blogging?

11:12 That was a nice finish and Serbia and Montenegro’s first goal of the World Cup. Poor defense from the Elephants. I suspect we will see a few more goals in this game.

9:23 GOALLLLL! Nikola Zigic takes a long pass and calmly walks past the Ivory Coast keeper.

8:12 Henri Michel looks like a spy novel character on the Ivory Coast bench. Good coach but he looks seedy as hell.

7:15 Ivory Coast attack is like a fast break in basketball. When they go forward all the players go forward. Sometimes it works and sometimes it looks like my men’s team.

6:42 This rain is showing that Lotto makes superior kits than Puma for bas weather games. S&M doesn’t look nearly as wet as Ivory Coast. Still no action or score.

5:21 Boka with a long shot for Ivory Coast but it is way off target. His uniform is soaked. I can see his nipples. Hehe

4:56 No one has score in either game. See, this game is more interesting than that other one. Serbia’s lame duck coach looking constipated on the bench.

4:03 Corner kick to the Elephants after S&M foolishly heads it out. Shot of Drogba on the bench. He wishes he could play. Don’t we all? The kick is cleared away.

3:34 Maybe they will call this one at halftime. I am rooting for the pitch to become unplayable. Both teams sort of kicking it back and forth at this point.

1:23 It is bad enough these teams have crashed and burned but now they have to play in the worst weather of the competition. The oily ref awards Ivory Coast a free kick from 30 out. It amounts to nothing.

:12 The referee is the one with the oily hair. The field is going to be very slick now.

Kickoff We’re underway in Munich were it is dumping rain. Both teams are being punished for being killed so early in the Group of Death. This could turn out to be an interesting match if both teams slip and slide their way to goals. Thanks for joining me. Your comments are appreciated. Keep them clean, have fun and love one another.

4 minute countdown: It is pissing rain and the poor kids who are with the players forgot to wear their rain slickers. They are going to catch colds. There will be a run on chicken soup in the stores in Bavaria.

5 minute countdown: It is raining in Munich. Looks like a monsoon. This could make things interesting. Did you hear that the Saudi Arabia players blamed their 4-0 loss to Ukraine on the rain? Blame it on the rain, yeah, yeah…

6 minute countdown: The referees are having a good laugh as they lead the players out. This would be the perfect game for match fixing so maybe they are joking about what they are going to do with their newfound riches.

8 minute countdown: The players are lined up in the tunnel. S&M is wearing blue. Ivory Coast in orange. Those two colors look nice side-by-side. The players on both sides look kind of bored and bothered, like they would rather be home watching the other game or some reruns of Friends.

10 minute countdown: Should be a beautiful night in Munich for a football match that holds no meaning unless you are a player from Ivory Coast or Serbia and Monetenegro. I imagine the players’ parents are probably pretty excited about it too. My parents used to enjoy watching me play when I was 8 years old. What percentage of the world is watching this game tonight? Maybe 2%? We are the brave ones.

15 minute countdown: I’m sitting next to Chris who is liveblogging the Argentina-Netherlands game. As if his life wasn’t blessed enough, he is going to watch his homeland, Australia, play Croatia tomorrow in Stuttgart. Me, I’ll be here liveblogging all day. Hey, at least I am not stuck in an office reading someone else liveblog. Many thanks to those of you who are. Thank your boss for me.

20 minute countdown: This will be the last time we ever see a team named Serbia and Montenegro play in a World Cup. They will forever be known as the team that got spanked by Argentina. Quite a number of teams have earned that title but given the pre-tournament hype about the strong S&M defense that 6-0 drubbing looks especially bad. I wouldn’t mind seeing six goals tonight. I also wouldn’t mind being smarter, better looking and faster at typing.

25 minute countdown: No Didier Drogba tonight for the Elephants as he is out serving a card suspension. No such luck for this liveblogger who is working on something like his 14th or 15th liveblog of the competition. I think to think that it will keep me young but sitting on my backside drinking beer for four hours a day is probably taking years off my life.

30 minute countdown: Ivory Coast starters: Barry, Kanga Akale, Arthur Boka, Didier Zokora, Blaise Kouassi, Aruna Kone, Aruna Dindane, Cyril Domoraud, Kader Keita, Yaya Toure, Emmanuel Eboue

35 minute countdown: Serbia and Montenegro starters: Dragoslav Jevric, Ivan Ergic, Igor Duljaj, Goran Gavrancic, Dejan Stankovic, Predrag Djordjevic, Nenad Djordjevic, Milan Dudic, Nikola Zigic, Mladen Krstajic, Sasa Ilic

40 minute countdown: Ivory Coast might be going home but I have been impressed with the way they played. Against a very good Argentina team, they did not back down or shy away from attacking. They have show a lot this tournament and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see them again in 2010 in South Africa.

50 minute countdown: Yes, this is the second day in a row I have liveblogged a game that counts for nothing. This time I deserve it since I predicted both these teams would go through from the Group of Death. Short of being flogged, watching this game while Argentina plays Netherlands is probably the worst punishment that exists. Hope you will join me, but I don’t blame you if you don’t.

Pregame: Who will win this match? Will you even watch it?

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