But it was still premature to start celebrating and the players knew it, as they quickly mobilised to form a circle on the pitch. The message? Keep your heads in the game. Senior players like John Paintsil, Kevin-Prince Boateng and John Mensah kept pinning both index fingers on their head. Mensah, who had the armband, kept shouting “concentration”. Unsurprisingly, Ghana made no changes heading into the second half. Uruguay, on the other hand, replaced Alvaro Fernandez with attacking midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro. Although Ghana began the second half right where they left off, it was Uruguay who scored against the run of play.
Forlan stepped up and converted his fifth shot of the game after his free kick fooled Kingson to bring Uruguay level. The small section of Uruguayan fans went berserk, as the majority of the 80, 000+ fans present went dead silent. It was Forlan’s 27th goal for La Celeste – potentially the most crucial one he had scored to date. Kingson looked disappointed especially because Ghana had relied on him, with the Wigan Athletic goalkeeper making 15 saves in the tournament before the Uruguay game. Despite the South Americans starting to take control, Gyan was presented with a half chance after a pass from Kevin-Prince Boateng.
But the Black Stars’ talisman saw his near post effort saved by Muslera. The game grew more and more into a back-and-forth scrap, with both sides taking turns to attack. The best chance of the half fell to Uruguay with about 20 minutes left to play. Forlan and Suarez came close to recreating their first goal against South Korea in the round of 16. Forlan floated a pin point cross but Suarez’s effort marginally missed the goal, brushing the side netting. Minutes later, Suarez saw his poked effort parried by Kingson before Gyan benefitted off a defensive mistake on the other end to force a save from Muslera with his first-time volley.
Well-constructed moves, poor execution – that was the story of the final 15 minutes as both sides couldn’t be separated after 90 minutes. For the second consecutive game, Ghana went into extra time without showing any signs of slowing down, as they continued to dominate proceedings. Gyan was on the end of almost everything and attempted the most shots (10) in the game. With extra time flying by without each side creating a decent opening, a moment of madness preceded the final whistle. Ghana were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the box with seconds remaining. Paintsil’s delivery was flicked on dangerously by Kevin-Prince Boateng.
Uruguay went onto to win the shootout 4-2 and Ghana have not been able to replicate the heroic World Cup run since. Otto Addo’s side finished bottom of Group G in 2014 while they missed out on qualification for 2018 altogether. Ghana are now back to renew their rivalry with Uruguay 12 years later with Qatar set to be Suarez’s last international tournament… Watch the World Cup with talkSPORT At talkSPORT we are powered by fans, so come and join us for the ultimate World Cup fan experience this winter – at the talkSPORT Fan Zone. In a huge indoor venue under the arches at Waterloo in London, we’ll bring you live screenings of every World Cup game.
What happened when Uruguay last played Ghana as rivals meet after Suarez-gateSUAR NOTE 1st December 2022, 11:35 am Updated: 1st December 2022, 11:36 am Ghana will be desperate for revenge when they face rivals Uruguay at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar this week. The two sides famously met in the quarter-finals of the 2010 edition in a match which remains one of the most controversial games ever.
Former Portsmouth star Sulley Muntari had put Ghana ahead, but Diego Forlan equalised for Uruguay to send the game to extra-time. With the match looking to be heading towards a penalty shootout, Stephen Appiah looked to have won it for Ghana in the final minute but his shot was blocked by Suarez on the line. Dominic Adiyiah reacted quickest to head home the rebound only for Suarez to blatantly use both hands to push the ball away. The second most famous World Cup handball behind Diego Maradona against England The ex-Liverpool and Barcelona striker was sent off but Asamoah Gyan smacked the crossbar from the resulting penalty. Suarez then reaffirmed his status as a World Cup villain after cameras caught him wildly celebrating the miss while standing in the tunnel.
The appointment of Tabárez changed their fortunes almost immediately, as Uruguay finished fourth in the 2007 Copa America. However, they had to go all the way in the qualifiers, which included a play-off victory over Costa Rica. Consequently, the Uruguayans went into the 2010 World Cup playing more qualifying games than any other team – 20 in total. One of the storylines of the World Cup in South Africa was the Adidas Jabulani ball, which garnered notoriety for its tendency to fizz about like a wayward firework. Players constantly complained and it wasn’t surprising to see Lionel Messi, Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Fernando Torres and Wayne Rooney all end the World Cup with just one goal between them.
“Before the Uruguay game, Rajevac told me to try to cross each time because I have a good cross and Asamoah Gyan is dominant in the air. ” Prior to the Uruguay game Inkoom had made nine open play crosses for Ghana in just two games, which was only behind Andre Ayew (13) and John Pantsil (16). The game looked like it would head into the break goalless until Gyan laid off a pass to Muntari in the middle of the park. The Internazionale midfielder unleashed a powerful shot from 35 yards which swerved away from Muslera and nestled in the back of the net. For Muntari, this goal sent a pointed statement, because he would not have played at the World Cup had it not been for Nyantakyi. The GFA president in a recent interview with Joy Sports revealed he had to “kneel” in front of coach Rajevac to plead for Muntari to be included in the squad.
The Black Stars had only qualified for their second-ever World Cup. Their first experience in 2006 inspired hope, as they miraculously qualified from a group alongside eventual winners Italy, Czech Republic and the USA – both ranked top five in the world at the time – but the fairy-tale ended with a reality check as Brazil thumped Ghana 3-0 in the round of 16. Despite an impressive outing at the World Cup in 2006, Ratomir Dujković resigned after the tournament. Claude Le Roy was appointed but hastily sacked two years later following Ghana’s failure to win the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations as hosts. Following Sellas Tetteh’s hire on an interim basis, Milovan Rajevac was eventually confirmed as head coach of the Black Stars. Rajevac worked wonders in the space of a few months, reaching the final of the 2009 African Nations Championship and the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.
Ghana, Uruguay meet again at World Cup after 2010 drama
Conversely, Uruguay’s defensive pillar Diego Godin was ruled out of the game due to a thigh injury, as Alvaro Fernandez replaced Alvaro Pereira in midfield. The game was expected to be closely contested, but the atmosphere in the stadium marginally tilted the odds towards Ghana even before a ball was kicked. However, Uruguay started brighter, with Forlan being heavily involved as Ghana struggled to get out of their own half. Forlan had adopted a shoot on sight approach for the game and nearly caught Richard Kingson off guard with a free kick close to the halfway point.
About That Game: Uruguay 1-1 Ghana (2010) | The AnalystFootball Dec 1, 2022 About That Game is a series looking at the data stories underpinning classic matches. This edition looks back at Uruguay 1-1 Ghana in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, a game that saw a continent’s dream crushed courtesy of a penalty shootout victory for La Celeste on African soil. Uruguay 1930, Italy 1934, South Korea/Japan 2002. One instance on its own could be dismissed as a coincidence, but these three examples expose a strange trend in the World Cup – the first time the tournament is played on a continent, the host country goes deep into the competition. So, when Africa finally landed the World Cup in 2010, all eyes were on the hosts South Africa. Connoisseurs of African football were sneaking glances at Cameroon, who were ranked 19th in the world. Hardly anyone gave Ghana a second look.
Ghana won their first corner of the game in the 30th minute with the corner count at 6-1 in favour of the Uruguayans. Muntari delivered an in-swinging delivery which saw Vorsah – a man linked with a move to Stoke City – leap above Diego Lugano only to send his header inches wide. It was the spark Ghana needed as they went on to assert themselves in the final 15 minutes of the half. Perhaps their dominance coincided with the injury of Uruguay captain Lugano, who was replaced by Andres Scotti. Ghana were on the ascendancy as illustrated in the expected goals race chart below and Gyan should have scored his fourth goal of the tournament after purposeful wing play by Kevin-Prince Boateng, but his side foot effort from around the penalty spot went just wide.
Ghana vs Uruguay Prediction, Odds & Betting Tips 02/12/2022
Now a player who was almost an outcast had sent the entire African continent into raptures of ecstasy. Fifty-four African nations and their West African representatives were just 45 minutes away from history. A look at the expected goals at half time read 0. 19 for Uruguay, 0. 40 for Ghana – perhaps suggesting that the hosts had every right to start to dream.
Referee Olegário Benquerença warned the players that similar action would see them sent off. Ghana were eager to score before the break as some crisp passing between Muntari, Kwadwo Asamoah and Boateng led to Gyan playing Ghana’s first shot on target – albeit a rather tame effort from about 30 yards. Ghana’s press was intense and they quickly won the ball back in the Uruguayan’s half. Industrious play on the wings from 20-year-old Inkoom found Boateng with a cross but the FA Cup finalist mistimed his acrobatic attempt and saw his effort sail into the stands. The pattern would become a familiar sight, as Ghana sought to create from the wings. Twelve years after the epic match, Inkoom reveals to The Analyst that coach Milovan slotted him into the team primarily due to his crossing ability.
Possibly just as surprising was how Uruguay’s Diego Forlan mastered the Jabulani and could seemingly hit it with precision from anywhere within sight of goal. Forlan and Luis Suarez played key roles as Uruguay topped Group A ahead of Mexico, hosts South Africa and France. It was the first time La Celeste had topped a World Cup group since the 1954 edition in Switzerland. Suarez continued his good form, scoring a brace in the round of 16 to help Uruguay beat South Korea 2-1. The South Americans had their eye on a last four berth for the first time in 40 years, but they had to go through the last African country standing, Ghana. With the hopes of a continent resting on their shoulders, Ghana faced off against Uruguay for the first time. The game took place at Soccer City in Johannesburg, the same venue for the final of the competition. A thousand vuvuzelas created a wall of noise that spilled over the stadium walls and reverberated around the continent.
He led Uruguay to their only victory in the 1990 World Cup, a narrow 1-0 result over South Korea which was their first win at the World Cup in two decades. Subsequently, the South Americans went another 20 years without victory until Tabárez returned to beat South Africa in their own backyard during the 2010 World Cup. Prior to that World Cup, Uruguay had been through a dark period. They missed out on the 2006 World Cup after losing to Australia in the playoffs.
Ghana vs Uruguay, FIFA World Cup 2022: 12 years on
And Ghana were one game away from becoming the first African side to make the World Cup semi-finals when they faced Uruguay in the last eight… What happened last time Uruguay played Ghana? It’s almost impressive that Luis Suarez bit Giorgio Chiellini in 2014 and his antics against Ghana still remain his most controversial World Cup moment. Former Portsmouth star Sulley Muntari had put Ghana ahead, but Diego Forlan equalised for Uruguay to send the game to extra-time. With the match looking to be heading towards a penalty shootout, Stephen Appiah looked to have won it for Ghana in the final minute but his shot was blocked by Suarez on the line.
Ghana vs. Uruguay - 2 December 2022 - Soccerway
Ghana vs. Uruguay - Football Match Summary - ESPN