When Ghana lost on penalties today to Uruguay, my eyes welled up with tears. Over the course of the 120 minutes, my heart went out to Ghana. This was an African side which personified everything that is beautiful about the World Cup. Underdogs, pure athleticism, incredible skill and, last but not least, devastatingly wonderful goals.
Ghana played their best game of the tournament Friday night but it still wasn’t enough. When they were awarded a free kick outside the box at the very end of the 30 minutes of extra time, it seemed that the African nation had one last chance to score. But as the ball ricocheted in the box, Ghana was dealt a cruel blow when Luis Suarez handled the ball on the line to prevent Ghana from scoring.
Sadly the punishment didn’t fit the crime. It was a certain goal. Suarez was red carded, which seemed unjust for the goal that he stole away from Ghana. And then up stepped Asamoah Gyan to take the penalty. With the last kick of the game, Gyan thundered the shot at the goal but the ball hit the crossbar and away to safety. Gyan and Ghana came so close to winning it all for their country, for Africa and for the world. Suarez, meanwhile, celebrated on his way down the tunnel. Cheating won, while Ghana was prevented from being given a sure goal and dealt the cruel fate of missing a penalty.
If that wasn’t bad enough, Ghana then had to rile up the courage to compete against Uruguay in the penalty kick shoot-out to decide the winner. Gyan, full credit to him, put his penalty away with ease and showed how much of a true professional he is by accomplishing the difficult task of breaking through the psychological barrier of missing a penalty just minutes earlier.
Ultimately, Ghana went on to lose the penalty kick shoot-out and many of their players fell to their knees as the emotions swept through them after Uruguay scored the winning penalty to send the South American team to the semi-final.
Not to take anything away from Uruguay, who produced an exceptional performance over the 120 minutes and definitely deserve a place in the final four, but it was the valiant display by Ghana that I’ll never forget. Just as we look back fondly at 1990 and remember how inspirational Cameroon’s performance was, we’ll look back at 2010 and reminisce about Ghana’s brilliant tournament in 2010 and how close the African nation (and continent) got to having a team so nearly qualify for the semi-final, but cruelly have it taken away from them in such controversial circumstances.
Luis Suarez’s deliberate handball on the line for Uruguay was criminal. A red card as a punishment for that offense is not fair to Ghana. In circumstances like that when a player commits a deliberate hand ball on the line to prevent a goal, a red card should be given to the cheater and a goal should be awarded to the team to the opposing team.
Over the entire tournament, I’ll remember Ghana for their unconventional attacks that seemingly came out of nowhere at times. I’ll cherish their wonderful strips they wore. And the pure excitement they brought to this tournament. Ghana and Africa may not be in the final four, but they’ve given me and countless other people a reason to believe in the World Cup again. And that’s a huge achievement during a day and age which is so predictable and so commercialized.
Indeed. Ghana were a delight. I’ve long had them pegged to see Brazil in the semi-finals but at least one of the Netherlands or Ghana got through. Hoping that they can recreate the magic next time when the squad is a little older and they’ll have my favourite player, Michael Essien, back.
How did cheating win? I guess you should get the rules of football changed. What about the blatant elbows thrown from both sides, didn’t see any cards there! You sound like the rest of the people that
put money on Ghana.
@footiephantom: You compare a little roughhousing and physical playing (from both sides by the way) with clearing a sure goal of the line by hand?!!! Ghana was de facto winner of the game already before any of the penalties if not because of Suarez’s cheating and they didn’t have to prove themselves again to win the match! He robbed them off of their sure victory! What he did was unsportsmanlike and unforgivable. I hope the Dutch kicked their sorry asses in the next game!!!!
Imagine the scenario, extra time, both sides drawing, minutes to go, one side attacking. three players, previously nominated by coach join the goaly on the goal line, making in effect 4 goalies. They are nominated to do this by the coach because they are not the type of player that is needed in the next game. because the game is nearly over they know that being sent off will not effect their team much.