<p>Didier Drogba again proved the talisman for the Ivory Coast's come-from-behind victory over Japan in their opening World Cup game, coach Sabri Lamouchi said after the 2-1 triumph in Group C on Saturday.<br /><br />Having left Drogba on the bench, Lamouchi said his impact after coming on, almost immediately engineering a winning turnaround as the Africans scored twice in a three-minute burst, was typical of the influence of the 36-year-old striker.</p>.<p>"Having a player like Drogba in the team, either starting or as a replacement, always has an effect on the team," he told reporters, adding he had only told the captain he would be on the bench when they arrived at the stadium.<br /><br />"Of course Drogba was disappointed to be on the bench but if you saw the joy when he finished the match – we need him and we will need everyone before the end of this tournament.<br /><br />"When Drogba came on everything changed. Part of leaving him on the bench was to do with strategy, part of it was his fitness. </p>.<p>The last time he played 90 minutes was a few months ago in Turkey and he's had an injury since then.<br /><br />"He has improved an awful lot in the last few weeks. He has made a lot of sacrifices to be at the World Cup.<br /><br />"We did not start very well in the game, conceding the first goal because of a careless mistake," added Lamouchi, a former French international with only two years coaching experience.</p>
<p>Didier Drogba again proved the talisman for the Ivory Coast's come-from-behind victory over Japan in their opening World Cup game, coach Sabri Lamouchi said after the 2-1 triumph in Group C on Saturday.<br /><br />Having left Drogba on the bench, Lamouchi said his impact after coming on, almost immediately engineering a winning turnaround as the Africans scored twice in a three-minute burst, was typical of the influence of the 36-year-old striker.</p>.<p>"Having a player like Drogba in the team, either starting or as a replacement, always has an effect on the team," he told reporters, adding he had only told the captain he would be on the bench when they arrived at the stadium.<br /><br />"Of course Drogba was disappointed to be on the bench but if you saw the joy when he finished the match – we need him and we will need everyone before the end of this tournament.<br /><br />"When Drogba came on everything changed. Part of leaving him on the bench was to do with strategy, part of it was his fitness. </p>.<p>The last time he played 90 minutes was a few months ago in Turkey and he's had an injury since then.<br /><br />"He has improved an awful lot in the last few weeks. He has made a lot of sacrifices to be at the World Cup.<br /><br />"We did not start very well in the game, conceding the first goal because of a careless mistake," added Lamouchi, a former French international with only two years coaching experience.</p>