3 Reasons why Ivory Coast won against South Africa| African Cup Of Nations 2019

#2 South Africa did not offer much threat apart from their set-piece routines

South Africa did not have a single shot on target during the game

Stuart Baxter would not have been happy watching his side's performances in the final third. It never looked like the team wanted to get on the scoresheet as they lacked tenacity and organization going forward.

Despite enjoying a lion share possession for the better part of the game, the players just couldn't make something happen and passed the ball back. They were happy to sit back when not in possession, that left them get exposed to waves of counter attack that followed.

It seemed after trying out their luck via open play, they focused solely on set-pieces as their only way of getting into the final third. In all fairness, they lacked imagination when in the opposition half.

It was this laid back effort that eventually allowed the Ivorians to build up pressure and finally crack the defence in the 65th minute.