Gervinho gives Ivory Coast 2-1 win over Togo

Gervinho scored an 88th-minute winner as title-favorite Ivory Coast opened its African Cup of Nations campaign with a 2-1 victory over Togo on Tuesday.

The Arsenal forward ran behind the Togo defenders and found the net at the far post after a long free kick by Yaya Toure.

Toure had scored from inside the area less than 10 minutes into the match, and Jonathan Ayite equalized for Togo from a corner just before halftime as the teams opened play in Group D on a hot afternoon in the northwestern city of Rustenburg.

Led by Didier Drogba and several players from European clubs, Ivory Coast struggled to create many chances against a tightly-organized Togo team, whose scoring opportunities mostly fell to Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor.