How South Korea Spoiled Uruguay’s Victory Over Ghana

Ayew’s tame penalty was simply saved by goalkeeper Sergio Rochet, and Uruguay quickly scored twice, and although it was nonetheless early, Ayew’s miss successfully sealed the tip of Ghana’s journey. As a substitute of turning into the third African group to succeed in the knockout spherical, an achievement that may have been a primary within the match’s close to 100-year historical past, Ghana is out.

The unhealthy information for Uruguay? It’s out, too. On a path to ending second within the group with solely minutes remaining in opposition to Ghana, Uruguay acquired the worst objective doable: Korea had scored a late objective to beat Portugal in a sport performed concurrently about 14 miles away.

That rating pushed the Koreans right into a tie with the Uruguayans within the standings, and tied with them on objective distinction. Uruguay’s final hope was to make use of about seven minutes of harm time to seek out the third objective that may push it via. It by no means got here.

As a substitute, it joined Ghana in leaving the match in torment, the newest victims in yet one more wild denouement for a match that’s turning into accustomed to dramatic plot twists.

Ghana may have gone via with only a tie, having began the day in second place, however in Uruguay it got here up in opposition to an opponent that continues to hang-out the desires of hundreds of thousands of soccer followers within the West African nation. And as soon as once more, 12 years after his handball had helped Uruguay eradicate Ghana from a World Cup, it was Luis Suárez who proved to be Ghana’s tormentor.

Suárez, instructed by a Ghanaian journalist on the eve of the sport that lots of his countrymen contemplate him to be “the satan himself” for a handball that denied Ghana what would have been a spot within the semifinals of the 2010 World Cup, performed like a person possessed.

Simply 5 minutes after Ayew’s penalty miss, he burst into the penalty space, labored an angle and delivered a shot that Lawrence Ati Zigi spilled into the trail of Giorgian de Arrascaeta. Arriving like a flash, de Arrascaeta bundled the rebound over the road.

He and Suárez mixed once more just a few moments later, with the latter producing a second of magic: lobbing the ball over an onrushing defender together with his first contact for a cross that de Arrascaeta coolly volleyed into the web.

The penalty miss, and the flurry of targets, knocked Ghana off its stride, and made for a wierd ambiance to envelope the Al Janoub stadium. The shut of the primary half was performed in opposition to a backdrop that would finest be described as a low mumble, with the occasional outbreak of trumpets from a gaggle of Ghanaian musicians gamely attempting to induce their group again to life. They didn’t have a lot luck.

The gamers did attempt to rouse themselves by locking arms and forming a huddle earlier than disappearing to the locker room for halftime. Coach Otto Addo got here out with alterations, allotting with the providers of Ayew and his brother Jordan, the one two gamers on the Ghana squad with earlier World Cup expertise.

However these adjustments did little to shift the momentum. Uruguay continued to look the extra harmful, and Ghana’s protection, one of many match’s most porous, remained on its heels.

Ghana was supplied some respite from the menace of Suárez when he was substituted with 25 minutes remaining. However by then he had already achieved his injury: He had as soon as extra left his mark on Ghana, had as soon as once more been the architect of Ghana’s departure from the World Cup.

Uruguay was coasting into the knockouts, after which it was not. Information filtered via that South Korea had taken the lead.

At Al Janoub, the air out of the blue change into charged with the kind of vitality that had been absent since in regards to the time Uruguay had doubled its lead within the thirty second minute. Play out of the blue grew to become a bit extra frantic. Gamers exchanged determined seems. The gang got here too life, too.

“We noticed on the display screen” that Korea had taken the lead, Ghana defender Daniel Amartey stated. “I simply instructed my group that we’d like a objective now, however they want a objective now. Now we have to defend for ourselves. If we don’t go, they don’t go.”

On the bench, Suarez pulled his shirt over his face, and his eyes crammed with tears. Helpless, he watched his teammates cost up the sector in what would change into a forlorn seek for the one objective they wanted to sneak previous Korea on objective distinction. There have been close to misses, failed possibilities, penalty appeals that went unanswered.

Most all the pieces {that a} soccer sport may ship was produced in these closing phases, however for the one factor Uruguay craved probably the most: a objective.

When the whistle blew for full time, a gaggle of Uruguayan reserves stormed towards the sector and surrounded the German referee, Daniel Siebert, jabbing their fingers at him, bellowing in his common route. However none of it mattered.

Ghana may need been gone. However so was Uruguay.