Ghana (National Football)

 The FIFA have revealed once again they are hypocritical, gutless cowards.  Teams have a right to appeal a yellow or a red card.  An appeal made by Ghana for their midfielder Andre 'Dede' Ayew's yellow card in the round 16 game against the U.S. has been turned down by FIFA despite clear video evidence he didn't make contact with Josy Altidore. 

The FIFA stated the referee's decision is final.  In FIFA's bizarre world, catch-22 applies. You are free to appeal a decision that cannot be overturned.

The video of the game clearly shows Altidore tripping over his own feet with Ayew at least a couple of feet away. Having received yellow card in a previous game, Ayew will now serve a suspension for the quarter final game verses Uruguay

Compounding the problem is FIFA's new rule that yellow cards don't get wiped out after the group stage, as was the policy.  They now only wipe out the cards after the quarter finals. This puts teams and key players in jeopardy for the later rounds.

It's an insane policy considering the amount of unjustified yellow cards being handed out with an appeals process that is a farce. Its used just for show and nothing more.

Ayew is the son of Africa's first great player Abedi Pele, winner of three consecutive African Player of the Year awards, as well as being selected "Man of the Match" in Marseille's European Cup win over AC Milan in 1993. 

Andre Ayew captained the Ghana team that won the FIFA World U 20 title last year.  He has been the cornerstone of Ghana's midfield in the 2010 finals, showing a maturity far beyond his years, as well as being the heir apparent to Michael Essien. 

FIFA have handed Uruguay a huge gift before the their biggest game since 1970 and Ghana's biggest game ever.

Predictions are tricky.

More times than not, the one doing the predicting ends up eating his or her words.  But there are moments in time when a person senses something, an intuition, an inexplicable augury in the air, if you will.

This seems to be such a moment, and Ghana is set to advance to the semi-final of the World Cup, the greatest feat an African team would have achieved to date. I believe Ghana will beat Uruguay to advance to the semi-final.

An African team has never advanced beyond the quarterfinal stage of the World Cup before. In fact, this is only the third time an African team has reached this stage: first, through Cameroon at Italia ’90, and then Senegal at Korea-Japan ’02, and now Ghana at this year’s edition.

If this seems like a moderate achievement by African teams, consider that as recent as 1990, Africa had only two slots at the World Cup, acutely limiting its options and opportunities.

To justify this limited option, someone might argue that Africa was, in fact, not ready to have many slots at the World Cup for lack of high quality teams to fill more slots.

This argument disregards the fact that many European or South American teams have performed woefully at the World Cup in almost every edition (El Salvador 1970, Yugoslavia 1974, Hungary and Mexico 1978, New Zealand, Chile and El Salvador 1982, etc.), yet FIFA still gave these continents a number of slots.

In the seventies, Africa was not ready for many slots at the World Cup. However, this cannot be said of the eighties. Countries like Ghana, Nigeria, Zaire, and Zambia, beside the North African countries—Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, and Algeria—had World Cup-worthy teams but the limited slots prevented them from showcasing their strength at the World Cup.

In the nineties, countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Zambia, and Zaire, besides the four North African countries mentioned above, all had World Cup-worthy teams.

With more slots, it is quite possible that Africa might have achieved a better record at the World Cup than the one at present.

Some have begun arguing that perhaps Africa does not deserve the five slots at the World Cup because of the failure of her teams to reach the second round of the competition at this year’s edition. (See here .)

It is true that owing to the rapid growth of soccer in the continent in the last two decades, Africa should have done better in South Africa. However, to construe it a miserable failure the inability of five of her teams to reach the second round of this year’s World Cup, is to fail to consider the situation from a broader perspective.

If, for instance, one considers the percentage of teams allocated for each continent, the biggest failure at this World Cup is Europe.

Of the sixteen teams knocked out at the end of the first round, seven of those were from Europe.

Europe had a total of 13 teams at the World Cup from 53 that entered the qualification round, compare with 53 countries from Africa that entered the qualification round, only 6 of which qualified for the finals. (Five actually, since the sixth slot was added because South Africa was hosting the competition.)

Someone has argued (here ) that Africa should have, at least, two more slots at the World Cup. There’s certainly a sense in that.

Consider also that had Africa been given more slots at the World Cup, Egypt would probably (if not certainly) have been at this World Cup.  Being arguably the best team in Africa at present, their absence at the World Cup only adds to the remarkable nature of the case being made here.

More slots at the World Cup would have afforded an opportunity for such countries as Angola, Tunisia, Zambia, and even Togo to compete with the rest of the World at the World Cup.

The failure of five of the African teams to go beyond the first round of the present edition of the World Cup, in my mind, goes beyond the issue of quality, by which I mean World Cup-worthy quality. Was the failure of Italy or France a result of  lack of such quality?

There were teams that qualified for the second round, such as England and the USA, by clawing their way through.  These countries were certainly not better than teams such as Cote d’Ivoire and Cameroon. Cote d’Ivoire and South Africa, by the way, only narrowly missed qualifying for the second round.

If Ghana does beat Uruguay, and I believe they will, then Africa will be more than justified in having more slots at the World Cup.

To say that Ghana will beat Uruguay is not to dismiss the latter team. Uruguay has proven so far to be a formidable team.

They have one of the best mid-fields, marshaled by Diego Forlan.  Moreover, they have demonstrated a remarkable ability to play defensively.

I have been personally impressed by the way their midfield moves as a four-man unit to assist in defending and in mounting an attack.

To beat Uruguay will not be an easy feat for Ghana, but they will do it.

Ghana has improved with every game. They displayed composure and purpose in their match against the unpredictable USA side. In fact, I was more tense going into the USA match than I am now.

The USA, in my opinion, were the most dangerous team to play against in the World Cup, mainly because of their unconventional way of playing. With them, you never knew what to expect, a tactical challenge.

Uruguay, on the other, has played in a consistent manner: strong in the midfield, cautious defensively, and opportunistic in attack. It is a team that is easier to read than the USA team.

They also lack the incisiveness of the Germans when it comes to attacking. And the latter, despite this incisiveness were unable to really trouble the Ghanaian defense, even though they did score a goal against Ghana.

Every match, of course, is different. Good teams adjust their style to their opponent and to the circumstance on the pitch. Judging by the way the Ghanaian team has adjusted to the games she has played so far, she should have no trouble doing so in her match against Uruguay.

One thing that should never be discounted in a game is luck. This, the Ghanaian team appears to possess.

She qualified virtually on penalty luck. And if she made her own destiny in the match against the USA, one may not discount good fortune as a factor.

It is always fortunate for a team to score first in a match.

If a team does score and has the ability to protect the goal (and the Ghanaian team possesses the ability), then it holds the cards of the game in its hand.

An ancient poet once wrote:

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”

It was a profound confidence in the benevolence of providence. We may dare say that when fate agrees with one, none can disagree.

It appears that fate favors this Ghanaian team. If I’m wrong, then I will humbly eat my words and admit my mistake.

For now, my fingers are crossed.

But to all those rooting for Ghana, let’s continue hoping and believing.

As Ghana has made it to the last eight, Accra and all other parts of Ghana are going ballistic.

And you must understand why. The job is not done but the emotion is raw, passionate and telling.

Last week and throughout this week, thousands of people have been displaced by floods, people have also died and lost property around Africa and when the guys do these things, it makes Africa forget all their problems.

Ghana’s Black Stars once again showed why it is the hope of Africa by advancing to the quarter finals of the FIFA World Cup. Ghana won 2-1 vs USA.

The United States was eliminated from the World Cup by Ghana for the second straight time as Asamoah Gyan scored 3 minutes into overtime, leading the Black Stars to a 2-1 second-round victory Saturday night.

Kevin Prince Boateng put Ghana ahead when he stripped the ball from Ricardo Clark in the 5th minute and beat goalkeeper Tim Howard from 16 yards. Ghana did not manage a goal from open play in their group games – their four points came courtesy of two penalties – yet they lost no time in opening their account in the knockout stage.

With just five minutes gone, Kevin-Prince Boateng dispossessed Ricardo Clark in the centre circle and set off on an impressive run. By the time Jay DeMerit and Carlos Bocanegra woke up to the danger, Boateng was striding into their penalty area, and though he struck the ball early, he did so with a conviction and an accuracy that surprised Howard.

Once again, the U.S. came back, and Landon Donovan tied the score with a penalty kick in the 62nd minute after Jonathan Mensah pulled down Clint Dempsey streaking in. But no matter how much the Americans pressured after Gyan scored, they couldn’t tie it again.

In 2006, Ghana scored two goals by Haminu Draman and Stephen Appiah, but this time Appiah came from the bench and Draman, who was not a part of the team in SA, watched from Accra.
Millions of people thronged the streets and danced and made merry after the win.

This is not only huge for Ghana, but for the entire continent of Africa, where soccer is not only an entertainment but it is a medium of escapism and a theatre of dreams.

Every African, no matter where in the world, must be glad for Ghana's successful progress to the quarter final of the World cup. More so, because she is the only remaining flag-bearer for the continent.

Support in the stadiums was never going to be a problem for Ghana. South Africans have done the right and proper thing by getting behind the team after Bafana Bafana failed to qualify.

The large contingent of Nigerians and indeed of other Africans in South Africa is surely and solidly behind Ghana.

The Black Stars are living up to their name. We are all proud of them and hope and pray that they progress in the competition as far as possible. In fact, we pray that they win the cup.

Victory for Ghana is victory for the whole continent.

This is as it should be.

This overwhelming support should be a lesson for Ghana and should inspire a change of heart in their attitude.

We should naturally expect that Africans would support other African nations at international competition. Thus, when Cameroon played in the 1990 World Cup, the whole of Nigeria was behind them. There was no distinction. This wasn't just Cameroon playing, it was Africa playing.

But what a surprise it was for me to hear that this is not assumed in Ghana. That, in fact, Ghanaians have been known to rejoice at Nigeria's defeat at international competitions where Nigeria had represented Africa. I heard that they rejoiced when Italy stopped Nigeria in the second round of the '94 World Cup.

Rivalry is understandable. But to rejoice at the failure of a nation representing the whole continent goes beyond the pale. It is unacceptable.

Nigerians are rejoicing for Ghana. We wish you well, and we will be praying that you carry the torch further in the competition. Let this inspire you to do the same for other African countries in the future.

The farther you go in the competition, the more foreign nations would be silenced. They have begun gloating at the failure of the other five representatives. Go on with the wind in your sail and prove them wrong.

Your are the Black Stars. You are our pride.

United we stand, but divided we fall.

Ghana and Uruguay became the first teams to book World Cup quarter-final places after beating the USA and South Korea respectively.

USA vs Ghana (Game Grade: A)

The luck had to run out sometime, didn't it? As an American fan told us after Team USA's 2-1 loss, "the D sucked today," and sadly, he was right. The US constantly struggled against the pace of the Ghanaian forward line, and Tim Howard had to pull out some top drawer saves to keep the Americans in the game. Having said that, the USA were unlucky not to get another penalty during the normal time to add to the one converted by Landon Donovan. This American team - like the side that battled its way to the top of Group C in the first round - didn't give up, and we can only hope for a stronger US team come 2014.

And how about Ghana? Asamoah Gyan's tremendous finishing in extra time proved to be the winner and a shining light in what has been a fairly big cloud for Africa football-wise (hosts South Africa, Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Algeria were all dumped out in the first round), but there was much more. The defending at the end of the game was ultra-committed, and England fans can only hope for the same if they find themselves in a similar position against Germany. Having said that, the midfield still looked lost without Michael Essien, and if Luis Suarez and Diego Forlan are on form, then they'll be trouble.

Uruguay vs South Korea (Game Grade B)

Some suicidal defending from the South Koreans gifted Suarez his first goal, while there was little they could do about the Ajax striker's winner, which was curled in from a corner in a moment of sheer brilliance. The South Korean equaliser was also the result of some poor defending on behalf of the 'Boys in Blue', but this was always going to be game where mistakes would prove key - especially on a dreadful pitch and driving rain.

Uruguay is a team that plays with a great deal of confidence (as expected after winning their group), and can pass anybody out of a game. And while Forlan might look lazy, he's a brilliant set piece taker and he'll probably cause Ghana problems in the quarter-final battle.

And South Korea? If they sort out their defensive issues, which moved like a cancer from back four to goalkeeper, they will again challenge to be in the 2014 in Brazil. Bearing in mind their style of play, we hope they are.

In the world's greatest sport and biggest sporting competition besides the Olympics, a truly magnificent moment epitomising the power of sport has lit up the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Little, weak Ghana, full of poverty, has overcome the omnipotent United States of America in a scintillating encounter which went right down to the wire and saw The Black Stars emerge 2-1 AET victors.

With the backing of almost every person in Africa, a battling Ghana side, in beating the USA, managed to become only the third ever African side to make the quarterfinals of the tournament, after Senegal in 2002 and Cameroon in 1990.

And it was an achievement they managed without superstar midfield maestro Michael Essien, who has established himself as one of the world's best holding midfielders in recent times with Premier League and FA Cup champions Chelsea.

But most importantly, it was a result that showed just how great sport is; officially the poorest country in the tournament with a GDP per capita of $671 has beaten the richest country in the tournament, with a GDP per capita of $46,381.

It's a colossal difference which reflects not only the wealth, but also the sporting infrastructure of both countries, making Ghana's victory even more all-round brilliant.

The likes of Asamoah Gyan and 20-year old Andrew Ayew particularly caught the eye for Ghana, with the France-based duo surely set for transfer moves to bigger and better clubs in the Premier League, Serie A, Bundesliga or La Liga.

Their performance, and especially Asamoah Gyan with his goal, helped drive Africa's top footballing nation to an unexpected place in the quarterfinals, where they'll face a very tough test in Uruguay, who beat South Korea 2-1 earlier in heavy rain.

The likes of 19-year olds Jonathan Mensah and Lee Addy also came of age for the Ghanians, and whilst some may say US "soccer" has a bright future, it pales in comparison to the future of Ghanian football.

By the time of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, the aforementioned Addy and Jonathan will be 23, Ayew 24, whilst the likes of Kevin-Prince Boateng, Asamoah Gyan, Sulley Muntari, Anthony Annan and Prince Tagoe will be hitting the prime-time of their careers.

Essien should still be around, and AC Milan's 20-year old prodigy Dominic Adiyah will be a more rounded, experienced superstar having learnt from the likes of Alexandre Pato, Ronaldinho, Filippo Inzaghi, Klaas Jan-Huntelaar, Marco Borriello, etc.

It's safe to say that if these stars all gain the experience that they will most probably gain playing at the highest level against the best players in the world, then Ghana will have a big group of superstar individuals come 2014.

Also, with the fighting spirit that accompanies all African sporting sides, these superstar players should have no problem gelling as a team.

And thus, weak little Ghana not only beat a virtually omnipotent nation in the "people's game", but also proved they can potentially eclipse this nation in the world's most powerful sport.

To quote everyone's hero, Nelson Mandela, "sport can create hope where once there was only despair."

For all the poverty-stricken children, men and women alike whose relief and escape comes from watching football, The Black Stars of Ghana finally wrote the future and lifted the morale of an entire continent, carrying their hopes of glory even further.

These Ghanian men created hope for all African children, showing them that there is hope, that they can defy the odds, and that they themselves can exploit their natural talent and become world superstars.

Because Nelson Mandela is undeniably a legendary men full of wisdom, here is his powerful quote on sport which most certainly can be applied to Ghana, USA and the World Cup.

"Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to unite in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand.

"Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers. [Football] laughs in the face of all types of discrimination."

The second match in the round of 16 has thrown up a mouthwatering feast at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace.

The United States were sent their marching orders after Ghana defeated them 2-1 in added time.

Ghana started the match on the front foot with an early strike from Prince Boateng from the edge of the area. Boateng only qualified to play for Ghana early this year. 

Nevertheless the US found it tough in the first 20 minutes as Ghana continued to press with the majority of the possession.

Former Ghana international and African star Abedi Pele was present in Rustenburg to watch his son Andre Ayew dazzle his way in the midfield. Ayew, who was on a yellow card prior to the match, received his first and only yellow for the match and second for the tournament from a soft decision. Ayew will now miss the quarterfinal clash with Uruguay.

In the second half the US came out more determined and had much better structure to their play, especially going forward.

Numerous chances were created but thanks to Richard Kingston, Ghana survived.

In the 62nd minute the young Jonathan Mensah gave away a needless penalty after leaving his foot only for Joze Altidore to be fouled.

Landon Donovan made no error in putting the ball in the net with a confident spot kick.

With the US level on terms the match was edge of the seat viewing with quality attacks from both teams.

After 90 minutes the game ended 1-1, which called for thirty more minutes of added time. Ghana brought on Inter Milano midfielder Sulley Muntari, who immediately got into the action.

Not long into the first half of extra time Gyan muscled his way with two defenders on either side to take a left footed strike. The ball flew into the night only for Africa to stand and cheer.

The US went into the game with full confidence having overcome the group frustration and finishing on top, only to find a hungry Ghanaian team thriving for success.

With so much talk regarding the poor performances of African teams at the Finals, Ghana in some way restored the image of football on the continent even if it's just for the time being.

Africa United, Africa Ignite!!

In my most modest opinion, Team USA starts as the favourites in this match. That's not to say I don't rate Ghana well, as I believe this matchup might suit Ghana tactically.

Tthe African side will be content to sit back and just soak up pressure, before hitting the US on the counter-attack with their fast wingers. Taking into account the fact that the American defenders have appeared a little slow in recovering their position after forays forward so far in the tournament, and we're all set for a very interesting matchup.

The best course of action for the American team would be to put the Ghana centre-backs under as much pressure as possible early on. Ghana's defenders are not the best passers of the ball and putting pressure on them would most definitely disrupt their build-up play from the back.

Considering Ghana will probably have a 3 v 2 advantage in the centre of midfield, I expect Bob Bradley to opt for the same tactics he used against England. Direct balls towards the strikers, with Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan in a supporting role close to the strikers.

Against England, Donovan and Dempsey came off the flanks to provide a threat from a position the English weren’t used to dealing with. Effectively, the English defenders were forced to play very narrow, and this in turn opened up space on the flanks.

This helped the US defenders, because they constantly looked to bomb forward and provide the width that was lacking when the front four all moved centrally. This stretched the England defense and helped the attacking quartet find space.

Employing such a strategy means Team USA would avoid a midfield battle with the physically stronger Africans and focus on the Ghana Achilles' heel, their central defenders. Jozy Altidore should be able to cause problems for the Ghanian defence with his pace and strength.

With Team USA hopefully pressing on early, the midfield battle in this match will probably be quite reserved. Both central midfields generally sit deep rather than look to make penetrative runs, so they may play in front of each other, and create a slightly static contest.

This is probably a good thing for the Americans, since I rate the African side very highly when it comes to their physical prowess, which means Team USA could just be outmuscled when it boils down to a direct confrontation in midfield.

I expect Team USA to dominate possession and it will be up to the creative players in the American team to find an opening past the African's good defense.

Preview

The USA take on Ghana later today for a place in the quarter finals.

Three minutes away from elimination, Landan Donovan's injury time goal took the USA to the top of their group and into the next round.

By qualifying top, the USA have avoided Germany in the last 16 and potentially Argentina the quarter final.

Instead, they've earned themselves a rematch from the 2006 World Cup, and a chance at revenge for the 2-1 loss four years ago.

Ghana held their own in Group D with a win over Serbia, a draw with Australia, and only lost to Germany courtesy of a stunning strike from Mesut Ozil.

Ghana come into the fixture as underdogs but will be hoping to pull off an upset, as they did in the last World Cup.

Team News

USA

Robbie Findley is available again after completing a one-match suspension.

Herculez Gomez came in for Findley but Edson Buddle provides an alternative option as well, so Bob Bradley has plenty of options up front.

Defender Oguchi Onyewu could be brought back in at the expense of Jonathan Bornstein who came in for the Algeria match.

One game from suspension: Cherundolo, DeMerit, Altidore, Beasley.

Line Up

                            Howard
Cherundolo  Onyewu  DeMerit  Bocanegra 
Dempsey     Clark     Bradley     Donovan 
                      Findley         Altidore

Ghana

Ghana defender Isaac Vorsah could well still be out with a hamstring problem. This means that Jonathan Mensah will maintain his place along side John Mensah. 

Contrary to reports, Sulley Muntari hasn't been sent home, although he did start on the bench against Germany.

If Muntari remains on the bench, Rajevac could name an unchanged team from the Germany match.

One game from suspension: Ayew, Vorsah, Tagoe, Johnathan Mensah, Addy, Annan.

Line Up

                    Kingston
Paintsil  Mensah  Mensah  Sarpei 
Boateng          Annan         Ayew 
        Tagoe                     Asamoah
                       Gyan

Stats

USA

The USA kept their first clean sheet in 13 matches last time out against Algeria.

A win would give the USA their first consecutive wins at the World Cup since 1930.

Ghana

Ghana's last five wins have been 1-0 victories.

Their last three World Cup goals have been penalties.

The Black Stars of Ghana went down 1-0 to Germany after a blistering long-range strike from Mesut Ozil, but still managed to follow Germany into the last 16.

Ghana knew that a win would guarantee top spot in the group and a draw would guarantee qualification, while a defeat would leave them relying on a favourable result in the match between Serbia and Australia. Germany were always likely to provide a stern test, particularly as they needed a result after losing 1-0 to Serbia in their previous game.

The return of captain John Mensah was a huge boost; the defensive lynchpin partnered namesake Jonathan Mensah in central defence with Isaac Vorsah still absent. The Ghanaian defence would need to be at their best to cope with the threat of talented young trio Ozil, Lukas Podolski, and Thomas Muller, as well as Cacau, in for the suspended Miroslav Klose.

The only other change for either side was Germany's selection of Jerome Boateng, who made history alongside his brother, Ghana international Kevin-Prince Boateng, as they became the first siblings to face each other in the World Cup Finals.

The game began at quite a pace, with both teams seemingly intent on grabbing the first goal that would mean so much to their qualification hopes. Ghana were impressive going forward, but it was Germany who had the first chance, with Cacau firing from wide on the right and forcing Ghana keeper Richard Kingson into his first save.

Soon after the Germans had another chance, as Podolski’s left wing cross was deflected towards his own goal by Jonathan Mensah, forcing Kingson into a fine reaction save. At the other end, Ghana’s main attacking threat was again Asamoah Gyan, scorer of both of Ghana’s goals in the first two games.

It was Gyan who had Ghana’s best chances of the first half, the first coming when Andre Ayew received the ball just inside the box and cut it back to Gyan, but his close range shot was blocked when he looked set to score. He went close again when Kwadwo Asamoah broke down the left and swung a ball across the box, with only the outstretched boot of Per Metersacker preventing Gyan from getting on the end of it.

Just as it seemed Ghana were becoming dominant, Germany broke well and Ozil had a guilt edged chance, after being put clean through by a great through ball from Cacau. With the goal seemingly at his mercy, he opened his body up and looked set to side-foot home, but the onrushing Kingson produced another fine save to keep the scores level.

Next up came the game’s most controversial moment, as a Ghanaian corner was flicked on at the near post by a header from Gyan, beating German ‘keeper Manuel Neuer, but being cleared off the line by captain Lahm.

While it initially looked like a fantastic piece of defending, replays showed that Lahm used his arm to control the ball before clearing, and had the referee seen it, he would surely have awarded Ghana their third penalty in as many games, as well as showing Lahm a red card.

The officials’ oversight was a huge let off for the Germans, who then went on to have a number of decent chances before half-time; first when Khedira’s near post backheel set up Cacau, who fired a decent snapshot just wide of the near post, then a header from Khedira that flew narrowly over.

Finally, a free-kick from Schweinsteiger that evaded everyone on its way through the box before it was well saved at the far post by the impressive Kingson.

Ghana had another good chance before the break after a fantastic exchange of passes between Boateng and Ayew. From central midfield, Boateng spread a pinpoint pass out wide to Ayew, who controlled perfectly, cut inside the defender, and crossed left footed for the onrushing Boateng to head at goal.

Unfortunately for Ghana, Boateng didn’t get quite enough on the header and the ball glanced across goal, and soon after, the pulsating first 45 minutes came to an end with the game somehow still goalless.

The first half had everything but a goal; exciting end to end play, good chances for each side, controversial decisions, theatrical falls, and heavy challenges. Ghana’s main attacking threat was Ayew, who switched to play on the right for much of this game and was a constant threat, cutting onto his left seemingly at will and swinging several dangerous crosses into the German box.

Ghana had the first chance of the second half a few minutes in, as Gyan flicked on to Kwadwo Asamoah, who found himself all alone on his favoured left foot, but smashed straight at Neuer from just inside the box. This missed chance added to a collection of first-half misses from Ghana, and 10 minutes later they were made to pay dearly.

For the first time in the half, Muller found space on the Germany right, carried it toward the edge of the box, and played it inside to Ozil, who took it on his magical left foot and smashed in a wonderful strike from 20 yards. It was a breathtaking goal from the young star, showcasing his massive talent and giving Germany a precious lead.

The Germans were now in control of the game, and with it, top spot in the group. They survived a scare immediately after when a header from Prince Tagoe went close, but after that they shut up shop and the game became much less eventful.

At this point, Ghana were still going through ahead of Serbia by virtue of goals scored, but it was a precarious position to be in, knowing that a Serbian goal would put Ghana out.

The relief along the Ghanaian bench was palpable when news came through that Australia had scored two quick-fire goals to lead 2-0 with 15 minutes to go, meaning Ghana were going through.

Ghana’s last chance of note came when Gyan backheeled cleverly for Ayew to strike a fine left footed shot which was wonderfully blocked by Lahm and away for a corner. After that chance, there was very little to speak of, with Germany content to hold onto possession and their lead. Ghana faced a nervous few minutes when news came through that Serbia had pulled one goal back; a 2-2 draw for Serbia would mean they leapfrogged Ghana to go through on goals scored.

As Ghana’s game came to a close and finished as a 1-0 defeat, they waited nervously to hear the final result from Nelspruit. When the 2-1 final result came through, Ghana were able to celebrate their second successive qualification for the World Cup second round.

They were surely unaware at this point of just how close they’d come to elimination; Serbian forward Marko Pantelic had a goal disallowed and missed an absolute sitter, both in the final few minutes.

With fortune seemingly favouring Ghana, and a winnable second round tie against the USA offering the chance of a winnable quarterfinal against Uruguay or South Korea, what price the first ever African World Cup providing a first African side in the World Cup semifinals?

Ghana : Kingson, Sarpei, Pantsil, John Mensah(c), Jonathan Mensah, Annan, Ayew (Adiya), Boateng, Gyan (Amoah), Tagoe (Muntari), Asamoah

Booked: Ayew

Germany : Neuer, Friedrich, Lahm(c), Mertesacker, Boateng (Janssen), Khedira, Schweinsteiger (Kroos), Ozil, Podolski, Muller (Trochowski), Cacau

Goals: Ozil (60)

Booked: Muller