Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan’s penalty miss in the dying seconds of extra time against Uruguay on Friday cost the African side a place in the World Cup semi-finals and broke hearts across the continent.
Uruguay’s 4-2 shootout win after a 1-1 draw took them into the last four for the first time in 40 years where they will face Netherlands, who earlier shocked Brazil 2-1, and stopped Ghana becoming the first African side to reach the semis.
Gyan blasted his spot kick against the bar with the last kick in added time on a night of pulsating drama at Soccer City that not even a Hollywood scriptwriter would have penned.
PHOTO: AFP
Uruguay made the most of being let off the hook to progress with Fernando Muslera saving two of Ghana’s penalties before a cheeky chipped spot kick from Sebastian Abreu that was full of Latin bravado and panache delivered the spoils.
Uruguay celebrated their good fortune with unbridled joy on the pitch while Gyan broke down and wept. Ghana’s Serbian coach Milovan Rajevac struggled to hold back the tears at the post-match news conference.
“At the end we had a historic opportunity. It would have been a fairytale. We didn’t deserve to lose in this way,” Rajevac said, his eyes swollen as he bit repeatedly at his bottom lip.
PHOTO: EPA
The difference between the sweet taste of victory and bitter defeat turned on a handball by Uruguay forward Luis Suarez on the line that denied Ghana a goal in the final seconds.
While he was sent off for the offense, and will miss the semi-final, Uruguay got an effective lifeline that they snatched to book a meeting with the Dutch in Cape Town on Tuesday.
“We did what we had to do to win without playing brilliantly,” was Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez’s response to a question about the credibility of his side’s success.
Gyan had netted two penalties in the first round of the tournament but struck Friday’s effort high, grazing the top of the crossbar and then clutching his head in his hands as the opportunity of a lifetime slipped by.
Ghana had taken the lead on the stroke of halftime when Sulley Muntari, restored to the starting lineup after an earlier bust-up with the coach, fired a speculative shot from long range that deceived Uruguay keeper Muslera.
It came after the Africans had weathered a jittery opening spell as Uruguay’s much vaunted attack of Suarez and Diego Forlan set up three good early chances.
Uruguay equalized 10 minutes into the second half when Forlan struck a wicked swerving free kick over the top of the defense and keeper Richard Kingson.
But it was the Black Stars who had the better of the late chances in a flowing game that taxed the physical conditioning of both sides.
Missed chances in extra time suggested the game would limp to the lottery of a shootout but it suddenly came alive when Kevin-Prince Boateng narrowly missed with a header in the 118th minute before the scarcely believable finish unfolded.
NO HARD FEELINGS: Taiwan’s Lin Hsiang-ti and Indonesia’s Dhinda Amartya Pratiwi embraced after fighting to a tense and rare 30-29 final game in their Uber Cup match The Taiwanese men’s team on Wednesday fought back from the brink of elimination to defeat Denmark in Group C and advance to the quarter-finals of the Thomas Cup, while the women’s team were to face South Korea after press time last night in the Uber Cup quarter-finals in Horsens, Denmark. In the first match, Taiwan’s top shuttler Chou Tien-chen faced a familiar opponent in world No. 3 Anders Antonsen. It was their 16th head-to-head matchup, with the Dane taking his fourth victory in a row against former world No. 2 Chou, winning 21-14, 13-21, 21-15 in 1 hour, 22 minutes. The
Jannik Sinner continued his quest to become the first man in history to win five Masters 1000 tournaments in a row with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Danish qualifier Elmer Moller at the Madrid Open on Sunday. The world leader extended his winning streak to 19 matches, a run that began early March in Indian Wells, and he has captured 24 consecutive victories at the Masters 1000 level, dating back to the Paris Masters last October. Searching for a maiden title at this level on clay, Sinner advanced to the round of 16 at the Caja Magica with a 77-minute performance against
Tennis players are facing an unexpected opponent at the Madrid Open. A stomach virus or food poisoning has affected Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Marin Cilic and others, raising concerns. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka avoided an upset by Naomi Osaka on the court on Monday and said she is trying to avoid illness by sticking to a diet of chicken breasts, rice and salad. The rumor among the players was bad shrimp tacos were to blame. Sabalenka knocked on wood for luck and said, “So far, so good. I heard that I have to avoid those tacos,” she laughed, adding “I stick to the
Kite-surfing fabrics, car tires and shortened shoelaces helped Kenyan Sabastian Sawe and Adidas crack the two-hour marathon barrier. When Sawe on Sunday shattered one of athletics’ most elusive barriers in storming to victory at the London Marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes, 30 seconds, it did not come from just physiology and grit, but from design choices drawn from far beyond the course. Sawe debuted Adidas’ lightest-ever racing shoe, the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3. “It starts with the mentality of the athlete, the coach, and the team behind the product, which is: What can we do better? What is the 1 percent
RSS