W’Cup: Ghana Fails To Break Jinx

Ghana’s Gyan (middle) in tears after their penalty shoot out loss to Uruguay, yesterday

Africa’s last team in the 2010 World Cup last night failed to break the jinx of any African side getting beyond the quarter final stage of the mundial after saying goodbye to the tournament’s first edition on the continent.

The Black Stars lost the second quarter final match of the competition 2-4 to Uruguay in a dramatic penalty shoot out after a 1-1 scoreline at the end of regulation and extra time at Johanesburg’s Soccer City.

It was a match that saw Ghana come within a kick of glory and history, to become the first African side to reach the semi final, when they had a penalty kick opportunity at the death to put their South American opponents to bed and out of the championship.

But the situation quickly turned Asamoah Gyan from a hero to a villain and Uruguay’s Lius Suarez, who had used his hands to prevent a goal bound ball from kissing the net, and was thus sent off, from a momentary villain to a historic hero.

Gyan, scorer of two penalty goals previously, slammed his effort on the crossbar after beating the goalkeeper.

It was the last kick of the match which forced the game to be decided through the lottery of penalty shoot out, and Ghana paid the penalty.

Ghana became the final African team to say goodbye to the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, losing in a dramatic penalty shoot-out to Uruguay after a 1-1 quarter-final draw at Johannesburg’s Soccer City. Goalkeeper Fernando Muslera saved efforts from John Mensah and Dominic Adiyiah, before Sebastian Abreu converted the decisive spot-kick for the South Americans, who reach the last four for the first time since 1970.

The Black Stars will have to be content with having become just the third side from the continent to make the quarter-final stage, although they could have won the match with the final kick of extra time. However, their top scorer, Asamoah Gyan, smashed a penalty off the bar that would have tipped the scales to the Africans after Sulley Muntari and Diego Forlan had scored either side of half-time.

Uruguay started the match on the front foot, looking dangerous from dead-ball situations and through the dynamic duo of Forlan and Luis Suarez up front. Suarez had the first real chance in the 11th minute when he beat a Ghanaian defender down the left. He cut into the box but blasted his shot right at goalkeeper Richard Kingson.

Kingson was the hero for the west Africans twice in short succession. In the 18th minute, from Forlan’s corner, he reacted quickly to keep out the ball after it deflected off John Mensah and was seemingly destined for the back of the net. Seven minutes later, he rescued another defender, this time Isaac Vorsah, who missed a tackle allowing Suarez in on goal. But the net-minder just got his fingertips to Suarez’s effort to push it over acrobatically.

The Black Stars then settled into the match and only narrowly missed going ahead twice near the half-hour mark. From Ghana’s first corner, Vorsah headed just wide of the post. A minute later, Gyan skimmed the other post after a strong run and cross from Kevin Prince Boateng. The Portsmouth midfielder almost opened the scoring himself in spectacular fashion in the 45th minute, but his overhead kick in front of goal spun off his foot. However, the west Africans got their breakthrough on the stroke of half-time as Muntari scored with a curling 35-yard shot that seemed to deceive the goalkeeper before finding the left-hand corner.