Drogba on bench for Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba was named among the substitutes for this afternoon’s World Cup opener against Portugal just 10 days after breaking his arm.

The 32-year-old Chelsea frontman, who was last night cleared to play in the game wearing a protective cast, was kept in reserve by manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.

Drogba suffered a fractured ulna during his country’s warm-up game against Japan in Switzerland on June 4 and it was initially feared he could miss the finals.

However, Eriksson last night revealed he was confident the former Marseille man could play a significant role.