Ghana vs Uruguay: A grudge match

ON the surface, it may seem just a regular World Cup group game, perhaps even a dead rubber by the time we get to the third match-week.

Or it could be a potential last-16 shootout, a decider laced in a dozen years of narrative and ill-feeling.

When Ghana face Uruguay at the Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, the Black Stars will be aiming for revenge.

Ghana were just a kick away from becoming the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final.

They were awarded a penalty when Luis Suarez intentionally handled the ball on the line. Suarez, playing for Ajax at the time, was sent off, but Asamoah Gyan missed the ensuing penalty.

Ghana would end up being beaten 4-2 in a dramatic shootout at the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg.

Former captain Stephen Appiah recently said in an interview with Al Jazeera: “I get goosebumps when I hear about the 2010 World Cup. It will haunt me for the rest of my life.”

Ghana are back on the global stage in Qatar where they will face Uruguay in Group H along with Portugal and South Korea. Rather deliciously, Suarez is still in the Uruguay squad.

It is a chance for a nation to rid themselves of a nightmare that has gripped than for 12 long years. This time around, Ghana interim manager Otto Addo believes his team can make a significant impact at their fourth finals.

Addo, with no previous senior coaching experience, took charge of Ghana in February after the sacking of Milovan Rajevac following their early exit from the Africa Cup of Nations.

“We can beat anyone. It’s up to the players, not me. It’s their performances that have brought them this far. They have the quality, with or without me,” Addo said.

“I’m responsible for putting them in the right positions so that they can produce their best performances, with and without the ball. They have to be able to play together.”

On the rematch of the controversial quarter-final in 2010, Addo said: “I’m sure that’ll be in the back of the minds of some players because it was a decisive game, not just for Ghana but for Africa as a whole.”– Sky Sports.