In 2010, Ghana found themselves in uncharted territory.
Taking part in just their second World Cup, the Black Stars were on the verge of the semi-finals
in South Africa. All that stood between them and history was Uruguay and Luis Suarez.
Some referred to what happened next as flagrant cheating, others as smart opportunism. Whatever
the truth, it remains one of the most divisive moments the World Cup has ever known.
To get to that quarter-final in Johannesburg, Ghana had beaten Serbia and drawn with Australia
in their group. When they knocked the United States out in the first knockout stage,
they advanced beyond their previous tournament best from four years before.
Ghanaian football was breaking new ground and – significantly – it was doing so at
the first World Cup staged on African soil. Milova Rajevac’s side were hardworking and
organised, but had enough personality to capture hearts and minds. So, as the last
remaining African team left in the tournament, they entered that quarter-final against Uruguay
with most of their continent behind them, but also much of the rest of the world too.
There was no question: Ghana were the story of 2010.
And they started the game brilliantly. 20 seconds before half-time, Sulley Muntari
scored one of the goals of the tournament, finding the net from thirty-five yards. It
brought a deafening noise from the 94,000 fans in the stadium, and Muntari and his teammates
danced in celebration as the sound of the vuvuzelas hummed around and above them.
But Uruguay were writing a story of their own. Ten minutes into the second half Diego Forlan rattled
a brilliant free-kick past goalkeeper Richard Kingson to bring the South Americans level.
From that point onwards, penalties seemed inevitable. The Ghanaians were not an expansive
side. They created few opportunities, but trusted their defence. And aside from one or two smart
saves, much of the next hour passed without incident, as 90 minutes became extra-time.
But then, in the 121st minute, something happened that stunned the watching world.
With extra-time at an end and a penalty shootout looming,
Ghana loaded the box for a John Paintsil free-kick deep in the Uruguay half.
Goalkeeper Fernando Muslera failed to claim the cross and after a frenetic pinball on the
goalline, substitute Dominic Adiyiah rose to head firmly towards goal, past the stricken goalkeeper.
For a moment it appeared that Ghana would reach their World Cup semi-final.
But no: Luis Suarez, who had dropped back to the goalline, punched the ball clear with his hand.
The referee instantly blew his whistle, pointed at the spot, and gave Suarez
a red card, sending him off. It set up a grandstand finish:
with the last kick of the game, Asamoah Gyan had a chance to put Ghana through. And who better?
The talented Gyan had already scored penalties against Serbia and Australia in the group stage.
He placed the ball up, stepped back, and… hit the top of the bar.
The crowd sagged in disappointment and the Ghanaian and Uruguayan players alike sank
to their knees. Gyan held his head in his hands. Suarez had left the pitch in tears,
but was shown celebrating wildly on the sidelines as his calculated sacrifice had paid off.
The penalty shootout that followed only promised to be crueler – and so it proved,
with Sebastian Abreu floating a ludicrous Panenka into the net to send Uruguay through.
It remains one of the cruellest World Cup moments. Michael Oti Adjei was a veteran Ghanaian
journalist who covered the game from the pressbox that night and he told the Independent in 2020
that “It was the single most painful experience for many Ghanaian football fans to date.”
It was easy to believe. With the Ghanaian players broken on the pitch below,
the television cameras panned around the eerily silent stadium, settling on the devastated faces
of supporters wrapped in Ghanaian flags, and many others from different countries,
who had bought tickets for the game and thrown their weight behind the neutral’s favourite.