Ivory Coast score twice in two mins
Drogba comes off bench to spark comeback
Honda scores powerful opener
Image source, Getty ImagesTake a bow Keisuke Honda. The World Cup is just a few days old and we've already seen some great goals - and that was right up there with them. Japan have started slowly but suddenly Honda receives the ball on the edge of the Ivory Coast area and buries the ball in a flash past Boubacar Barry. The number four was afforded plenty of time and space. But it was still a special finish.
The Blue Samurai have yet to seriously threaten the orange-shirted African defence. The rain is falling heavily as Cheik Tiote clatters into Shinji Okazaki at express train speed. That will have hurt.
Micky:, external I really fancy Japan to get out of this group. Keisuke Honda hasn't sparked for AC Milan but for his country he's a beast.
There's a huge din inside Arena Pernambuco as the fans gets behind their teams. The African drums are beating in Recife. There's also plenty of neutrals and a sprinkling of yellow Brazil shirts on display.
Image source, AFP/GETTYDidier Drogba looks unhappy to say the least sat on the substitutes bench but Ivory Coast have started well without their star man. Another swift attack sees Gervinho tee up Wilfried Bony whose powerful goal-bound shot is deflected behind by Masato Morishige. Great start by the Africans.
Image source, Getty ImagesIt is actually raining in Recife and both sides are finding it a struggle to stay on their feet. Cheik Tiote bursts forward for Ivory Coast and his threaded pass allows Salomon Kalou to deliver a dangerous cross intended for Gervinho which is headed out for a corner.
Ivory Coast get this one under way.
Wale:, external This is the time for the Ivoirians to change the label of perennial underachievers.
There's plenty of Japan fans in! A belting anthem. Short, emotional. In contrast, the Ivory Coast anthem is a rousing marching affair that includes the lyrics "the fatherland of true brotherhood". The players are pumped. We're set to go...
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Ivory Coast: Barry, Aurier, Bamba, Zokora, Boka, Tiote, Yaya Toure, Die, Gervinho, Bony, Kalou. Subs: Gbohouo, Viera, Kolo Toure, Bolly, Akpa Akpro, Drogba, Konan, Diomande, Gradel, Djakpa, Sio, Sayouba.
Japan: Kawashima, Uchida, Morishige, Yoshida, Nagatomo, Yamaguchi, Hasebe, Okazaki, Honda, Kagawa, Osako. Subs: Nishikawa, Gotoku Sakai, Endo, Kiyotake, Kakitani, Okubo, Aoyama, Konno, Inoha, Saito, Hiroki Sakai, Gonda.
Referee: Enrique Osses (Chile)
BBC World Service reporter John Bennett, external in Recife: "Arsenal fans will have a keen eye on Ivory Coast right-back Serge Aurier. Open secret that Arsene Wenger is interested."
Image source, Getty ImagesWho fancies Ivory Coast then? No African country has won the World Cup but can the likes of Yaya Toure, Kolo Toure, Wilfried Bony and Cheik Tiote inspire the Elephants to progress from the group stage for the first time?
They could face England, Italy or Uruguay if they do. How far can they go? Any Japan fans fancy an upset? Can the Blue Samurai put their opponents to the sword?
Text us at 81111 (UK Only), or tweet us #bbcworldcup, external
Image source, Getty ImagesAny England fans still up? The Three Lions might have been beaten by Italy in their opening group game, but you can watch Daniel Sturridge's goal online. The match has been added to both the England v Italy live page and this one. Go to the 'Live Coverage' tab to watch it all again and again and again. Despite the result, it's still worth a look.
Where is this game being played?
Arena Pernambuco, Recife
Image source, Getty ImagesCapacity: 46,154.
Opened: May 2013.
Location: Built from scratch, the ground is located in Sao Lourenco da Mata some 14 miles from Recife's downtown area.
Approximate distance from Rio: 1,162 miles.
Where is it? North east Brazil. Located where the Beberibe River meets the Capibaribe River to flow into the Atlantic Ocean. It is a major port on the Atlantic Ocean.
Fixtures: 20 June - Italy v Costa Rica; 23 June - Croatia v Mexico; 26 June - USA v Germany; 29 June - Group D first placed team v Group C second placed team.
Background: Partly because of the distance from the city, local teams were reluctant to accept the stadium as their home ground. Nautico, the smallest of Recife's very popular teams, will be based there after the World Cup.
Japan have managed to keep only one clean sheet in their last nine matches.
Ivory Coast are aiming for a first appearance in the knockout stages at their third World Cup, while Japan have twice made the last 16 in their four finals.
Previous meetings: Japan and Ivory Coast have met three times, all friendly matches, with Japan winning twice and losing once.
Ivory Coast's 42-year-old manager Sabri Lamouchi is the second youngest boss at the World Cup, only a month older than Croatia's Niko Kovac.
BBC World Service reporter John Bennett in Recife: "Big surprise to see striker Didier Drogba on the bench. The 36 year-old is an icon off the pitch in Ivory Coast and on it he's scored 65 goals in 101 appearances. It's a brave selection by head coach Sabri Lamouchi who is obviously impressed by Wilfried Bony's form for Swansea this season. The player to watch in the Ivory Coast side is young right-back Serge Aurier - strongly linked with a move to Arsenal this summer."
In the Ivory Coast's brief World Cup history - this is their third tournament - their only three defeats have come against Brazil, Argentina and the Netherlands. In contrast, the teams blocking their progress from Group C - Colombia, Japan and Greece - have cumulatively reached the last 16 on just three occasions. As Didier Drogba, who is on the substitutes bench for this game, freely admits: "Competing at the previous two tournaments was very difficult. We have a realistic chance to do better in Brazil and get beyond the group stage."
It's mid-morning Sunday in Tokyo, the early hours in West Africa while it's still Saturday night in Brazil, and Ivory Coast and Japan are just 20 minutes away from the start of their World Cup campaigns. Both sides are out warming up, with Japan captain Makoto Hasebe soaking up the atmosphere.
The 30-year-old was also skipper at the 2010 World Cup, when the team was denied a quarter-final place after losing to Paraguay on penalties. Hasebe responded to that deflating experience by writing a highly successful book entitled 'How To Straighten Your Mind', a process the midfielder likens to tuning a piano. Will he be penning another self-help novel after Brazil?
Image source, ReutersIn the opening game in Group C earlier, Colombia comfortably overcame Greece 3-0 as the South American nations continued their strong start to the World Cup. An early Pablo Armero (pictured second left) strike set them on the way, with Teofilo Gutierrez and James Rodriguez also scoring.
If you've just back from a night out, having trouble sleeping or a football obsessive, we're 25 minutes from the start of the eighth game of what is already a fascinating tournament. The South American countries, unsurprisingly, are off to a flying start and few give Africa's five participants much hope of causing a stir in Brazil.
But can Ivory Coast's now grey-ish golden generation enjoy what could be their last World Cup? Didier Drogba, Yaya Toure and Kolo Toure - who have a combined age of 100 - have all achieved greatness at club level. But their international careers remain largely unfulfilled.