Sometimes when you’re right, you’d rather be wrong. Yesterday, I predicted Uruguay would sneak past Ghana into the semi-finals, perhaps on penalties. They did just that, barely, winning 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. And though Uruguay are a disciplined, skilled side who have earned their passage through to the next round, it was absolute heartbreak for Ghana, who played brilliantly at times and would have been the first African team to make it into the semis. But their story-book run has come to an unfortunate end, breaking African hearts and even those of neutrals like me (semi-neutral, actually, since for most of the first half I still found myself upset with Ghana for eliminating the US in their previous game).
This game had absolutely everything that the petulant, cautious and ugly afternoon quarterfinal between the dour Dutch and boring Brazilians lacked. What a shame that both the Uruguayans and Ghanaians could not have progressed at the expense of Bert van Marwijk’s obnoxious side! It was truly worthy of a World Cup Final, the best game of the tournament so far—chock full of action, skill and drama—and perhaps the best we will see in international play for a few years to come. Where the Dutch and the Brazilians fouled each other constantly, play-acting, shouting at each other and the officiating crew, keeping seven men behind the ball at all times and packing the midfield like a tin of sardines, Uruguay-Ghana was end-to-end stuff, as both teams looked to get forward as often as possible.
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Uruguay dominated the first half-hour with Forlan, Suarez and Cavani combining well up front and Ghana’s defenders looking all-at-sea trying to deal with their pace and movement though ‘keeper Kingson’s reflexes proved enough to keep the tie level. Things shifted the other way for the last fifteen minutes of the half, as Vorsah’s powerful header from a corner flew just wide of Muslera’s far post and Gyan should have done better with his side-footed finish after fine work from Kevin-Prince Boateng down the right. Prince, as he prefers to be known, than almost took the lead for Ghana with a spectacular over-head kick that ended up flying over the Uruguayan crossbar. It was Inter’s Sulley Muntari who finally broke the deadlock with a beautiful strike from distance just days after he was almost sent home by coach Rajevac for questioning the gaffer’s decision to start him on the bench in previous games. Muntari swallowed his pride and apologized to the whole squad in a team meeting, a decision which both he and his coach must now be grateful for. From 35 yards out, the Ghanaian star took a couple of casual touches before blasting a powerful left-footed shot that swerved unexpectedly, wrong-footing Uruguay’s young ‘keeper Muslera, and ended up in the bottom corner. Pure class.
Uruguay were not to be outdone, however, and ten minutes into the second half Forlan equalized with a stunner of a free-kick. Just like Muslera, Ghanaian goalie Kingson seemed confused by the flight of the Jabulani and took a step in the wrong direction before recovering with a desperate dive. But he was nowhere close and the ball was in the back of the net. The rest of the half was in the style of the first, an open and entertaining affair. Suarez came closest to breaking the deadlock on two separate occasions but, on the first effort, his poor finish was off-target with the goal gaping and, on the second, Kingson’s fingertips managed to preserve the draw.
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Though the players were clearly exhausted and extra-time ended in stale-mate, the last seconds of the period produced what will surely go down in history as one of the most memorable conclusions in World Cup history: Ghana won a free-kick in a dangerous area and Pantsil’s well-delivered cross bounced around in the box before falling to Appiah whose shot from close range was cleared off the line but only as far as the head of Adiyah whose own effort was batted to safety by the hand of Suarez. A straight red card to Suarez who, fair play aside, really had no other choice. Up stepped Gyan to win it for Ghana at the death but, amazingly, his effort ricocheted back off the cross-bar. Suarez, openly weeping on the sideline, began running around with delight like a maniac though technically he was required to watch the madness on the dressing room TV. Really a stunning moment.
The roulette of penalties was as cruel as it always is, the goat being Ghana’s captain Mensah, who inexplicably took only a single-step run-up before seeing his weak penalty easily batted away by a grateful Muslera. Ghana was given hope when Maxi Pereira sent his penalty way over the top of Kingson’s crossbar but it was not to be as Muslera managed to save young Adiyah’s mediocre strike. Sebastian Abreu—who at 33 years of age has played for the amazing number of 20 clubs—finished the match off with a cheeky Panenka chip. Ghana’s fairytale run comes to an end in truly heart-breaking fashion. Meanwhile, Suarez, who saved Uruguay with his hand, will probably be banned for the rest of the tournament, leaving his side short-handed in their semi-final meeting with the Dutch.
Highlights here: http://www.footytube.com/video/uruguay-ghana-jul02-51188
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One moment of horror: Uruguayan defender Jorge Fucile lands on his head after going over a Ghanaian player’s back during an aerial challenge. He is clearly unconscious on the pitch and, except for a slight twitch, might be dead. I am reminded of the horrible moment in the 2003 Confederations Cup when Cameroon’s midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe collapses dead on the pitch from a heart-attack in mid-match. Thankfully, Fucile wakes up and, somehow, finishes out the game, putting in a solid shift at left-back.