Martin O'Neill's men looked vibrant after the re-start and Van der Sar was forced to concede a corner with Ashley Young's intended crossheading towards the top corner.
Ivory Coast were courageous in defence - Didier Zokora, for example, receiving a kick in his arm after bravely heading a cross that Liedson tried to volley - and showed an organisation and discipline in their play that suggested talk of fractures in their squad are wide of the mark.