There are not any winners in revenge missions. The sentiment known as for Ghana to proper the wrongs of their 2010 World Cup quarter-final in opposition to Uruguay and heal the injury of Luis Suárez’s last-minute handball on the road. However Uruguay, and Suárez specifically, haven’t any time for such romantic notions of redemption. Ghana had been knocked out once more after lacking a penalty, however that they had the comfort that, though Suárez arrange two, it was South Korea and never Uruguay who went via to the final 16 with Portugal.
Uruguay didn’t react effectively. Because the Ghanaians sat in resigned fatigue on the pitch, Uruguay’s gamers surrounded the idiosyncratic German referee, Daniel Siebert, on the last whistle, livid that that they had not been awarded a minimum of one in every of two big second-half penalty appeals. The Ghanaian followers, then resigned to their exit, appeared to take pleasure in all of it immensely. And when José María Giménez raged at Siebert, Suárez cried on the bench.
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This was a sport haunted by the reminiscence of occasions in Soccer Metropolis 12 years in the past, and particularly by that second within the last minute of additional time. The picture was at all times there, a perverse soccer pietà, fluttering within the peripheral imaginative and prescient: Stephen Appiah within the foreground after having the preliminary effort blocked (which was in all probability offside, although nobody is speaking about it), John Mensah and goalkeeper Fernando Muslera falling along with Andrés Scotti, Dominic Adiyiah stretching after heading the unfastened ball on objective, Jorge Fucile arching his again and left fist up lacking his tried deal with, and Suárez, arms out and leaping to his proper to squeeze away the ball. It’s the Pisgah of African soccer, the second it noticed the promised land with a World Cup semi-final, however was denied.
Billboards throughout Accra this week have depicted the occasion with the slogan: “REVENGE!: Let’s help the Black Stars.” That the Ghanaians nonetheless really feel the ache of that second was evident within the pre-match press convention. Suárez, with a attribute sense of provocative showmanship, appeared alone and utterly unfazed by a Ghanaian journalist who mentioned many in his nation noticed him as “the satan himself” (including “el diablo”, to keep away from confusion) and wished to “retire” him. He did not remorse it, he mentioned. He had been punished. He had acquired a purple card and missed the semi-final in consequence. It wasn’t his fault that Asamoah Gyan missed the penalty.
Was this a sophisticated ending? Suárez had solely performed 81 minutes within the group stage and had been decidedly unimpressive, managing only one shot heading in the right direction (off track). But when this was an enormous thoughts sport, Uruguay took it to the intense and appointed Suárez as captain. Was it within the thoughts of André Ayew, the one Ghana participant in Al Janoub to look within the 2010 quarter-finals, when he stepped as much as take a penalty?
As a result of, after all there was penalty controversy, plenty of it. How might there not be? Sergio Rochet, Uruguay’s goalkeeper, clearly tripped Mohammed Kudus however André Ayew was initially dominated offside. When VAR proved that he had been performed fractionally on the heel of Mathías Olivera, the award of the penalty was computerized. Nonetheless, his kick was dismal and simply saved.
Then, simply earlier than the hour mark, Darwin Núñez went underneath a problem from Daniel Amartey. Siebert did not give it, was informed to seek the advice of the display screen and, unusually, determined to not overturn the choice, signaling that he had seen a slight contact on the ball. It was a call that proved essential to Uruguay’s objective distinction; had it been given and reversed, they’d have handed. Edinson Cavani had one other respectable screamer in stoppage time, because the information had damaged that South Korea had crushed Portugal and the match had develop into a frantic slugfest, all type gone, only one assault after one other.
For Ghana, who had a two-point benefit at kick-off, the second had been there, however the second was missed. There was a way of inevitability in what adopted. Few sides are nearly as good at sensing the emotional pulse of a sport as Uruguay. As Ghana rolled on, Uruguay stepped up. Mohammed Salisu had already cleared off the road from Núñez when Suárez’s shot was half-blocked by Lawrence Ati-Zigi. The ball in all probability spun in anyway however Giorgian de Arrascaeta headed over the road from shut vary.
Six minutes later he had his second, volleying crisply dwelling after a intelligent Suárez flick. He could also be 35, his abdomen beginning to present underneath his shirt however, even when a lot is taken, a lot stays: there’s magic in his mind and his contact, and maybe particularly when opposition followers get the blood flowing.
And the fury, so unusually lacking in opposition to South Korea, was again. He raged on the officers, pinning Salisu away and placing his physique in the best way to win free-kicks earlier than being withdrawn after 65 minutes. He had crushed them once more.
The satan might by no means be fairly completed however this time it wasn’t fairly sufficient. A picture of him sobbing on the large display screen drew delighted jeers. Ghana had gone out – however a minimum of that they had introduced the Satan with them.
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