poptimists | WEARY SIDES FACE EXTRA TIME STRUGGLE

BECAUSE YOU DEMANDED IT! (sort of)

Ivory Coast 1 Portugal 1 (full time: extra time to be played)

Portugal's young side will be ruing letting their first-half lead slip as they face a gruelling ~~two days~~ thirty minutes of extra time in their Pop World Cup clash with Ivory Coast. The young, direct side came racing out of the traps and had the ball in the net in the first five minutes, leaving a complacent Ivory Coast team reeling. It could easily have been two straight afterwards, but with the Ivory Coast manager screaming from the touchline a defender hacked the ball off the goal-line and the African side gradually steadied themselves, playing keep-ball and looking to tire the energetic Portugese out. With only one goal in it a comeback was always possible and after 80 minutes a defensive mix-up let the Ivory Coast striker through to equalise. Portugal have looked the better side for long periods of this tie but they will need to find reserves of energy to kill the tie off: the Ivory Coast have given themselves a lifeline but are they hungry enough to take it?