There may have been no goals in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday, but there was plenty for Cote d'Ivoire to be pleased about in their 0-0 draw with Portugal at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The Ivorians dominated for large parts of the game and at times opened up what is a very experienced and competent Portuguese defence.

That the finishing touch was missing is a disappointment, but the performance, and the point gained, bodes well for Sven-Goran Eriksson's men in the competition.

North Korea's performance against Brazil later in the day proved that they will be no pushovers in the competition, and so the path to the second round looks a tough one, but Eriksson and his players have at least got their tournament off to a positive start.

Another massive plus for the African side was the introduction of Didier Drogba on 66 minutes, just over a week after he fractured an arm in a World Cup warm-up match. He was clearly limited in his movement, but still managed to create a chance for himself near the end.

"It was a tight game, not many occasions to score," Eriksson said. "I thought if any team was going to win, it was we. We created some more chances than they did.

“It’s a point. We are happy. Portugal are a good team. No one wants to lose a game like this. Ronaldo had a good chance but we had chances also. We knew before that it’s a very difficult group. The next game is Brazil. Let’s see what we can do.”

Eriksson also says the mood in the camp is excellent, with some of the historical problems between the players seemingly put to one side.

"If we are travelling or we are doing whatever we are doing, it's an extremely happy football team,” the coach said. "If the players have had any problems between them in the past, I can't understand it at all because they seem to be happy, all of them."