Ghana crash out - Capital Sports
Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

World

Ghana crash out

JOHANNESBURG, July 3 – Uruguay claimed their first World Cup semi-final appearance in 40 years after a pulsating 4-2 penalty shootout win over heartbroken Ghana at Soccer City on Friday.Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera saved skipper John Mensah and Dominic Adiyiah’s attempts after the quarter-final had been locked at 1-1 after extra time.

Two-time World Cup winners Uruguay will now play the Netherlands in the semi-finals in Cape Town on Tuesday.

Ghana could have won the match in the last minute of extra-time but leading scorer Asamoah Gyan sent a penalty crashing off the crossbar after Luis Suarez had been sent off for deliberate handball on the goal-line.

The Ghanaians scored first through a long-range Sulley Muntari strike two minutes into first-half stoppage time before Diego Forlan equalised with a brilliant free-kick in the 55th minute.

"I am very emotional. We didn’t play well, but we have gone through," said Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez.

"The players are very strong and have a strong team spirit. We have a little time to prepare for the match against Holland but we are going there to win."

Forlan, whose goal was his third of the World Cup, said his team had battled well.

"We suffered but now we will be among the four best sides in the world.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

"As far as my goal was concerned, I hit it normally. I had to score and I didn’t think about anything else."

Ghana were bidding to become the first African team to win through to the semi-finals of the World Cup after Cameroon (1990) and Senegal (2002) had fallen in the last eight.

"All I can say is this is football," Ghana’s Serbian coach Milovan Rajevac said.

"It was a very difficult game for us because in the previous game we also played for 120 minutes and in the end we had the historic opportuinity to reach the semi-final and we had the penalty.

"We have to be proud of what we have achieved. This is sport and justice. Today Uruguay were the lucky ones."

In a pulsating quarter-final before 84,017 fans, Ghana led when Inter Milan midfielder Muntari let fly with a 35-yard effort that swerved and beat the diving Muslera into the bottom-right corner.

Muntari was making his first start of the tournament, having come in for the suspended Andre Ayew after being close to being sent home.

Muntari, who has a history of clashes with the management of his national side, had a dressing-room bust-up with Rajevac earlier in the tournament.

Man-of-the-match Forlan equalised with a spectacular direct free kick 10 minutes after the resumption.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

The influential Atletico Madrid star sent his free-kick over the three-man defensive wall and beyond Richard Kingson’s reach into the top of the net after Ghana had threatened to take the game away from the Uruguayans.

Both teams went at each other in pulsating end-to-end action with fierce tackles and plenty of goalmouth action before the quarter-final went into extra time.

Uruguay, who last reached the semi-finals in 1970, will be without defender Jorge Fucile for the game after his second yellow card, with Suarez also sitting out the game.

Just before half-time Uruguay also lost their skipper and key defender Diego Lugano with an injured right knee and he was replaced by Andres Scotti.

Advertisement

More on Capital Sports

Football

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 27 – DStv and GOtv subscribers are in for a treat of the world’s best football this week as the 2020-21...

Football

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 25 – There is light at the end of the tunnel. After failed promises over the last three years since its...

Football

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 6 – Gentrix Shikangwa scored with two minutes left as Vihiga Queens sailed to the final of the CECAFA regional qualifiers...

NFL

NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 13 – Kenya’s history making Daniel Adongo, the first Kenyan to play in America’s National Football League (NFL), is now living...

© 2024 Capital Digital Media. Capital Group Limited. All Rights Reserved