Key Moment: It's the duty of every head coach to make tactical substitutions. None was bigger than Sabri Lamouchi's decision to bring in Didier Drogba. Just two minutes after his entry, the Elephants equalized. Two minutes after that—riding the wave of momentum and a tactical shift—the victory was theirs.

Man of the Match: Gervinho and Bony headed the Elephants home, but it was Serge Aurier who delivered the impeccable service. The 21-year-old finished with an 85 percent passing accuracy, but more importantly, two timely assists.

Lesson Learned: The Ivory Coast are determined to right the wrongs of years past. After failing to qualify for the Round of 16 in each of the last two World Cups, the Elephants took one giant step toward qualification. Their road still features tough challenges in the form of Greece and Colombia, but they showed every indication they'll be up for the task.

Up Next: The Ivory Coast travels to Brasilia on June 19 to battle Colombia for group dominance, while Japan hopes to rebound against Greece in Natal.

Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).