Injured Drogba and Robben in race to recover as Ivory Coast and Dutch sweat

HOLLAND and the Ivory Coast were anxiously waiting last night to hear if the World Cup dreams of Arjen Robben and Didier Drogba were over.

Robben limped out of Holland’s 6-1 thrashing of Hungary on Saturday with a hamstring injury while Drogba was resting yesterday after undergoing surgery on his fractured arm.

Robben came on as a half-time substitute in the friendly with Hungary and scored two goals before being forced off five minutes from time.

The 26-year-old Bayern Munich winger remained in Holland as the rest of the team flew to South Africa while he waits for the result of a scan which should be known today.

Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk said after arriving in Johannesburg: “I would rather have lost the game and still be able to take Arjen.

“He felt a sharp sting and that does not bode well. But I have not yet lost hope.”

Team-mate Robin van Persie admitted that the injury to one of Holland’s most creative players was the worst thing that could have happened to the squad. He said: “Everybody was shocked. This is a bit of a doomsday scenario. I find it unbelievable. Everyone was down afterwards.”

Holland’s first game is on June 14 against Denmark, while they also face Japan and Cameroon.

Meanwhile Ivory Coast coach Sven-Goran Eriksson was waiting to hear from a specialist in Switzerland for news on whether Drogba would play any part in the World Cup. The Ivory Coast captain underwent surgery on his fractured arm on Saturday.

The Chelsea striker was forced out of the Ivorians’ warm-up game against Japan in Sion, leaving the field clutching his right arm.

The Ivory Coast federation remain hopeful that Drogba will play some part in the tournament.

“He’s not at all out of the World Cup,” said a federation spokesman. “He can still play.

“We don’t know if he will be able to play the first game – that depends on the verdict of the medical team.

“But he’s definitely not out of the tournament.”

Uruguay striker Diego Forlan also suffered an injury scare after a training ground collision yesterday.

The Atletico Madrid star, whose two goals against Fulham in Hamburg last month handed the Spanish side victory in the inaugural Europa League final, was taking part in his country’s first training session in South Africa when he collided with midfielder Walter Gargano and appeared to injure his left foot.

Forlan continued with the training session but looked to be in pain.

England have confirmed that skipper Rio Ferdinand, ruled out of the tournament with knee ligament damage, is to stay with the squad at least until their World Cup opener against the United States on Saturday.

Chelsea’s John Obi Mikel has also been ruled out by Nigeria after failing to recover from knee surgery.