It was a truly emotional moment in South Africa as the Uruguay substitute striker Abreu cooly chipped in the winning penalty to seal his country's progress to the semifinals. It was indeed not the first time that the South Americans had torn all of Africa's hopes asunder. Their first victim was South Africa, and now it was Ghana's turn to fall.
It however seemed like Gyan would have made history as he stepped up to take the spot kick in the dying moments of extra time. It was the last kick of the game and Gyan could have entered in the annals of World Cup history as the one to have sent the first African team to the semifinals of a World Cup. The Rennes striker ultimately contrived to miss as he saw his shot crash against the crossbar. The ensuing penalty shootout did not prove any better for Ghana as captain John Mensah and substitute Adiyiah were both denied by Muslera. The game itself was a gripping contest. Ghana struggled in the opening minutes but quickly took control of the game as Muntari grabbed the opener. The Internazionale midfielder fired from a long, long way out. Muslera hopelessly scrambled across his line but could do nothing to reach Muntari's ferocious shot. It would all come undone in the second half however as Uruguay gained the ascendancy and Forlan fired in a vicious free-kick to equalize. The game proceeded with both teams creating lots of chances but ultimately failing to find the breakthrough. Ghana had the upper hand and pushed hard for the winner. After a goal line scramble in the dying minutes of extra time, which saw Adiyiah's header illegally blocked from going in by Luis Suarez's handball. The Ajax hitman was succinctly given his marching orders as Gyan lined up the penalty. The rest, as we say, is ancient history.
Ghana's great adventure thus ended at the quarterfinal stage. It is well known that football matches, especially in the World Cup, are decided on the smallest of margins. Ghana's, tragically, is a tale of inches. Indeed, a couple or so lower and Gyan would have smashed in the winning goal to secure his country's passage to the next stage. Bu the Black Stars should not despair. They fought bravely and were one of the sensations of the competition. The Black Stars put in magnificent performances throughout this tournament. What was most admirable about this Ghana side was the joy with which they played the game. Always with a smile on their faces, they played loose and without the weight of pressure, enjoying the moment and the occasion. It would be too easy to say that everyone loves a cinderella story. But such a statement would not do justice to the fantastic performances of this Ghana team, which represented so much more. The Black Stars very literally carried the hopes of the entire continent on their shoulders. Never did it seem too heavy a burden for them however, as they played valiantly and stood bravely before all opposition.
It was a heart-wrenching moment for Ghana, for Africa, and especially for Gyan. The striker could do nothing to hold back the tears after the final whistle was blown. After having been the hero for his country, being so decisive in every game before, he had now failed to send Ghana through. But Gyan fearlessly stepped up, mere moments later from his miss, to take the first penalty of the shootout. He struck it flawlessly, guiding the ball into the top-corner and out of Muslera's reach. Despite the disappointment, there are many positives to be taken. The biggest of which is that this is a very young squad. In fact Ghana were the youngest squad of the World Cup, with an average age of about 23 years old. It is a team full of talent and promise, and as such they should only progress further from here on out. All its squad members show much potential indeed. Kevin Prince Boateng was the standout player of the team for Ghana, while other such as Andre Ayew and of course Asamoah Gyan also shone for the Black Stars. The one fear would however be if this team were to disappear into anonymity as the talented Senegal side of 2002 had contrived to do. These young Black Stars should be able to avoid this fate however, and will surely push on to even more success. As for myself, I will anxiously be awaiting for Ghana 2014.
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