adminDALLAS. — Yaya Toure was left out of Cote d’lvoire’s final World Cup soccer warm-up match as a precautionary measure, with the country’s football federation playing down fears over the midfielder’s fitness for the Brazil tournament.Toure was a spectator as Gervinho and Didier Drogba scored first-half goals in a 2-1 friendly win over El Salvador in Frisco, near Dallas on Wednesday as the Ivorians concluded their American-based preparations for the finals.
“Yaya Toure has not presented any alarming signs as regards his fitness but the technical staff of the Ivorian team wants to rest a player who has come through injury and had a tiring season,” a statement said.
However, media reports suggested the reigning African Footballer of the Year was seen wincing with pain in training in the lead-up to the El Salvador match.
Toure had trained with his team mates during the week but also on his own. He only joined up with the squad last weekend after missing the first fortnight of their training camp to undergo surgery in Qatar.
The Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital in Doha confirmed the Manchester City midfielder’s admission for what it called a “minor injury” two weeks ago.
Toure suffered a thigh injury in mid-April but returned to help City secure the Premier League title for the second time in three years.
On the last day of the season on May 11, he went off in the second half with a reported hamstring injury in City’s win over West Ham.
The Ivorians arrive in Brazil today where they will open their Group C campaign against Japan in Recife on June 14, before facing Colombia and Greece.
Meanwhile, captain Didier Drogba led the way on Wednesday as World Cup-bound Cote d’lvoire shook off a subpar performance against Bosnia with a 2-1 friendly win over El Salvador.
While the effort was more laboured than the Elephants would have liked, goals from Gervinho in the ninth minute and Drogba in the 42nd proved enough — even though Cote d’lvoire had to hold off a late charge by the young El Salvador side energized by the 75th-minute penalty struck by Arturo Alvarez.
Cote d’lvoire struck early as Galatasaray front man Drogba fed Gervinho behind the Salvador defence for an easy finish.
The duo teamed up again in the 42nd, with Drogba finishing.
El Salvador’s penalty chance came after Kolo Toure was called for a foul on Darwin Ceren in the penalty area.
Former FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake player Alvarez confidently fired from the spot into the side netting, thrilling a crowd that was mostly backing El Salvador. Sabri Lamouchi’s AFP had dropped a 2-1 decision to Bosnia in their prior World Cup tune-up on Friday. — AFP.
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