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| Drogba off in Elephants win |
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Ivory Coast claimed a confidence-boosting win over Japan in their final World Cup warm-up match, although it may have come at a cost with skipper Didier Drogba suffering an elbow injury that threatens his place at the finals.
The Chelsea striker had already seen his 13th-minute free-kick take a deflection off defender Marcus Tulio Tanaka to give his side the lead before he was forced off two minutes later.
Drogba clashed with Tulio and left the field clutching his right arm, with reports in Switzerland claiming he had fractured his elbow.
The 32-year-old was this afternoon undergoing scans on the injury, which overshadowed a contest that was sealed in the 81st minute when Kolo Toure scored from close range.
"It's an elbow injury for sure. How bad it is, I don't know. He had a lot of pain," Ivory Coast boss Sven-Goran Eriksson said of Drogba's injury.
"Of course I am worried, he's our captain and one of the best players in the world."
Should Drogba be ruled out of the World Cup it would be a major blow for the Ivorians, who have been drawn in arguably the toughest group at the finals alongside Brazil, Portugal and North Korea.
Eriksson was taking charge of just his second game as Ivory Coast boss after watching his side let slip a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Paraguay last Sunday.
He would have been happy with his side's response when Drogba's free-kick flew in off Tulio, who was credited with his second goal in two games after he did the same in last weekend's 2-1 defeat to England.
Tulio was at the centre of the action again two minutes later when it was his foul that left Drogba holding his arm in pain.
Drogba had flicked the ball over the defender's head before he was caught by a high boot. The striker refused a stretcher but left the field immediately to be replaced by Seydou Doumbia.
Doumbia almost doubled his side's lead when he shot over in first-half injury time.
Japan's best chance arrived after the break when half-time substitute Shunsuke Nakamura's free-kick required a good save from Boubacar Barry.
Doumbia was then denied by a late tackle inside the six-yard box before Toure sealed the win when he met a free-kick with a well-placed volley.
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