Uruguay and Ghana's quarter-finals in South Africa 2010 are widely viewed as one of the most iconic World Cup matches in history.
On a tense evening in Johannesburg, this game had everything; drama, controversy, heartbreak, a villain and a hero incidentally, both played by the same person.
Luis Su rez's role as Uruguay savior made him persona nongrata in Ghana, even earning him the nickname El Diablo, or The Devil. Su rez blocked a goal-bound winner on the line with his hands, as the scores were level at 1 -- 1 and the game approaching the final seconds of extra time. It was a goal that would have put Ghana into the World Cup semifinals, making it the first African team in history to reach the final four.
Su rez was sent off, but Asamoah Gyan, Ghana's star man and captain, missed the penalty. Images of Su rez wildly celebrating the miss in the tunnel became one of the enduring moments of the World Cup and only angered the already incandescent Ghanaian supporters.
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Ghana went on to lose the team's chance of creating history after losing the subsequent penalty shootout.
Su rez insists he has nothing to say sorry for ahead of the first meeting between these sides since that memorable night more than 12 years ago.
Su rez told reporters in the buildup to the match that I don't apologize about, but the player is going to miss a penalty, according to Su rez. Maybe I can say I apologize if I injure the player and take a red card.
In this situation, I take a red card and the ref said penalty. This is not my fault because I didn't miss. It is not my responsibility to shoot the penalty. As the saying goes, time heals all wounds, but that clearly hasn't been the case with Ghana's feelings towards Su rez. In the wake of the Black Stars dramatic 3 -- 2 win over South Korea at Qatar 2022, jubilant fans outside Education City Stadium were already calling out El Pistolero.
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The stakes are high this time round, though not quite as high as they were in 2010.
Ghana will face Uruguay on Friday in a match that will play a big part in the decision on which team goes through to the round of 16. A draw is enough to guarantee a place in the knockout stages if Ghana wins, as it knows that a victory will guarantee its place in the knockout stages.
For Uruguay, only a win will do, and even then La Celeste will have to hope that South Korea doesn't beat Portugal.
It is all about perspective, according to the Ghanaian coach Otto Addo, of the handball, per Reuters. If the same incident happened the other way around and Ghana would proceed to the semifinals, everyone would say: OK, it's normal that a player will do anything he can. This is what I wish for every player to do, to help his team qualify to serve and sometimes sacrifice himself with a red card.