Great rivalries are supposed to develop over time. Ghana vs Uruguay is different. They have only once played each other once, in the quarter-final of the 2010 World Cup, but it was a uniquely astonishing game that created an instant rivalry.
When Luis Suarez pulled Dominic Adiyiah's header off the line, Ghana was about to score a 120th minute winner, and became the first African team to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup. He was sent off, Asamoah Gyan missed the penalty, Uruguay won the subsequent shootout and Suarez danced on Ghana's grave.
Here they are again, twelve years later. Only one team can go through to the last 16, there s a chance that they ll both go out, but we ll come to that which means another fight to the death.
Suarez, the greatest World Cup villain since Diego Maradona, seems to be cruising for a bruising, he appeared at a press conference yesterday and pointedly declined to apologize for the handball. He probably has a point, I suspect 99 per cent of footballers would do the same in his position. That is his own foible, on the other hand.
If Ghana win today, they will close the book on Suarez' World Cup career. He and Uruguay are unlikely to go quietly.
It will probably start at 3 pm GMT, 6 pm in Al Rayyan, 3 pm in Accra, midday in Montevideo.