Ivory Coast's Gervinho (C) celebrates with teammates Didier Drogba (L) and Lacina Traore after scoring their second goal against Togo during their African Cup of Nations match at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, South Africa, Tuesday. — AP RUSTENBURG, South Africa — Favorite Ivory Coast was made to sweat but eventually overcame enterprising Group D 'lightweights' Togo 2-1 to get its Africa Cup of Nations campaign off on the right note. Premier League stars Yaya Toure and Gervinho got the goals for the continent's top-ranked team with Jonathan Ayite scoring for Togo, back in the competition after the deadly Cabinda attack before the 2010 finals in Angola. Despite all the pre-competition focus on Didier Drogba making his Cup swansong, the veteran China-based striker went largely AWOL throughout the match and was taken off with quarter of an hour to go. Ivory Coast's starting XI for the Group D opener featured three Premier League stars — Manchester City's Toure brothers Kolo and Yaya and Gervinho of Arsenal, with Newcastle's Cheik Tiote on the bench. A fourth taking a busman's holiday from the British winter to help his national cause was Togo's talismanic Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor, who decided to turn up after a protracted 'will he won't he play' saga. On eight minutes Gervinho proved too quick for his marker down the right flank, his cross finding Yaya Toure who struck first time, the ball zinging through the Togolese defense, taking a deflection en route, and into the back of Kossi Agassa's net. The midfielder has now scored at every one of the last four Nations Cups. Togo achieved something that no team had accomplished throughout the entire tournament last year — namely score against Drogba and company. It drew level when Ayite knocked in Serge Akakpo's corner from the left — the first goal Barry has conceded in 613 minutes of CAN action. Togo had the ball in the back of the net for a second time approaching the hour mark off a corner but Cameroon referee Alioum Neant disallowed it, ordering the kick to be retaken as it had taken it too early. With two minutes left, Gervinho saved Ivory Coast's blushes, this time Yaya Toure turning provider with the free-kick which the Arsenal man swept past Agassa. In a late match Monday, a last-gasp goal from substitute Alain Traore gave Burkina Faso a surprising 1-1 draw against 10-man Nigeria. Two-time champion Nigeria had controlled the Group C game from the 23rd minute, when Spartak Moscow striker Emmanuel Emenike poked home a clever backheel volley from Brown Ideye, but had victory nicked from under its nose in the final play of the game. Nigeria defender Efe Ambrose was sent off in the 74th minute for a second yellow card, but Burkina Faso lacked the creativity to break its opponent down until Traore capitalized on a slip by defender Godfrey Oboabona in the fourth minute of stoppage time. Wednesday's matches: South Africa vs. Angola and Morocco vs. Cape Verde. Tunisia beat Algeria in African cup Youssef Msakni scored a remarkable goal in stoppage time to give Tunisia a dramatic 1-0 win over Algeria in the African Cup of Nations. The result leaves Tunisia level on points with Group D leader Ivory Coast. — Agencies
