Ghana and Uruguay are bound to meet in a men’s FIFA World Cup again, and that incident from that night in 2010 is looming large on this fixture. So why not go back and face the elephant in the room?
It is Friday, July 2, 2010, and we are in Soccer City, Johannesburg, South Africa. An African nation is hosting the men’s FIFA World Cup for the first time, and although the Bafana Bafana valiantly bid their farewell long ago, the whole continent is buzzing with the possibility of one of their own – Ghana – finally reaching the semifinals of this historic competition.
“We weren’t just playing for Ghana. We were playing for Africa,” Ibrahim Ayew, who started the fixture on the bench for the Black Stars, recently told The Athletic. “We could feel the whole of Africa behind us. We could feel it on our shoulders.”
The night ended with Luis Suarez writing another unforgettable chapter in the book of world cup controversies while notoriously saying: “The Hand of God now belongs to me” as well as catastrophically, traumatically breaking the hearts of Ghana and Africa.
What had exactly happened 12 years ago?
There was chaos. There was clutter. There was confusion. And there was a cluster of people shouting in the ear of referee Olegario Benquerenca, deep in extra time.
Moments earlier, while the game was tied at 1-1, the Black Stars had won a free-kick in their attacking half. Anarchy ensued in La Celeste’s box as the Uruguayans made a mockery of clearing John Painstil’s delivery, which was whipped into a dangerous area.
Incomprehensible things happened, including Suarez, who stood on the goal line, denying Stephen Appiah’s shot from entering the goal with his knees, until the ball reached Ghana substitute Dominic Adiyiah, who also headed it goal-bound, this time to be punched away by the bare hands of Luis Suarez.
All hell broke loose as Suarez was shown a red card and Ghana were awarded a penalty.
The last time Uruguay faced Ghana in a World Cup 👀 pic.twitter.com/KRUdGoWsvG
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) April 1, 2022
“For me, I thought, ‘last man on the line, touch it with his hand, it’s supposed to be a goal’ – so I was already celebrating that we are through.” Pantsil described to BBC Sport the sense of confusion that filled the moment. “Then I saw it was a penalty and I said, ‘What?’ I was shouting, ‘No, no, take the ball to the centre (circle), take the ball to the centre.’”
Eventually, Asamoah…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at FootTheBall…