Uruguay 1:1 Ghana; Uruguay win 4-2 on pens: match report

Too, too cruel. Africa’s heart was broken here at Soccer City when Ghana’s dream of becoming the first team from the continent ever to reach the semi-final of a World Cup died the most dramatic death after a penalty shoot-out.

In the most sensational, heart-rending finish to any game at this tournament, it just seemed impossibly unfair that Asamoah Gyan, the most magnificent and tireless of all Ghana's Black Stars, should blow their historic opportunity by missing a penalty with the last kick after 120 minutes of compelling drama.

Instead, even though Gyan showed extraordinary courage to then convert Ghana’s first spot kick in the shoot-out, there seemed a painful inevitability about them then losing 4-2, courtesy of two excellent saves from Uruguay’s Lazio keeper Fernando Muslera to thwart John Mensah and Dominic Adiyiah.

So, football’s new frontier was eclipsed by one of its oldest international guardians as South America’s two-time champions Uruguay celebrated wildly their first semi-final appearance for 40 years. And they deserved it.

But once the Uruguayan euphoria died down, they had to face the reality that they must take on Holland in Tuesday’s semi-final at Cape Town without their star striker Luis Suárez, who was sent off after deliberately handling on the line which led to Gyan’s missed penalty, and their best defender, Jorge Fucile, suspended after picking up a booking.


What an extraordinary occasion this was. The ANC chairwoman, Baleka Mbete, had sent a message on the eve of the game that “on your shoulders rest the football dreams of mother Africa”. And, even bearing that sort of pressure, these heroes let nobody down.

Even Sulley Muntari, who was almost sent home after a row with the coach Milovan Rajevac two weeks ago, was transformed from saint to sinner with the magnificent 30-yard strike on the stroke of half-time which put Ghana ahead.

It was answered by a Diego Forlán free-kick after 55 minutes. No surprise, there. Once again, the Atlético Madrid man offered a performance of the highest class, which was sealed when his free-kick bent one way then the other in a classic Jabulani jumble, leaving Richard Kingson utterly befuddled.

Yet nobody out there was more splendid than Gyan, who has, like Forlán, been one of the outstanding players in the tournament.

Once again, he gave everything, ploughing his lonely furrow up front, a thorn in the streetwise Uruguyan defence and when his moment came, it felt fitting that he would have the chance to steer his side to glory.

As both sides never stopped chasing victory in a compelling period of extra time, astonishing last second drama descended.

Adiyiah’s first shot was kicked off the line by Suárez but the striker was given a red card when he punched Adiyiah’s follow-up header off the line.

Yet, to his horror, Gyan’s penalty kick struck the bar and he could only hold his head in his hands. There could be no time for self-pity, though. Minutes later, he fearlessly converted his shoot-out kick.

The force had disappeared, though. Sunderland’s Mensah hit a weak one which Muslera saved with a dive to his left and, though Maximiliano Pereira’s wild miss gave them hope, the Uruguayan keeper made a wonderful one-handed stop off Adiyiah.

All it then needed was for Uruguay to seal victory with an outrageous dinked chip down the centre of the goal from substitute Sebastián Abreu, which sparked mad celebrations and a new dream that the original World Cup winners really could prevail 80 years on.


(source: telegraph.co.uk)