Soccer-Gradel goal rescues 1-1 draw for Ivory Coast

ABIDJAN, March 29 (Reuters) - Ivory Coast's Max Gradel scored 20 minutes from time to prevent the new African champions falling to an embarrassing home defeat against minnows Equatorial Guinea in a 1-1 friendly draw on Sunday. Gradel's equaliser came after Iban Salvador had handed the visitors and recent hosts of the African Nations Cup finals a 13th-minute lead. It was the second of two celebratory home friendlies for the Ivorians, who won the Nations Cup in February and called up all 23 players from the victorious squad for the games at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium. They beat Angola 2-0 at a rain-sodden Abidjan stadium on Thursday in their first match since their Nations Cup success. (Reporting by Mark Gleeson; Editing by Toby Davis)