After perhaps the craziest finish in a World Cup game ever, Uruguay found their way into the semifinals, beating Ghana 4-2 in a penalty kick shootout. Forward Sebastián Abreu buried a cheeky floater down the center, while goalkeeper Fernando Muslera twice denied the Black Stars.
In the very last second of the second period in extra time, it seemed as though Ghana would move on. Tied 1-1, the Black Stars earned a last-second free kick on the right. After the ball was swung in, a series of nervous bounces put the ball up in the air for a Ghanaian header. Just as the ball was about to slide into the net, forward Luis Suárez knocked it out with his hands, earning an automatic red and ceding a penalty kick to Ghana.
Asamoah Gyan lined up on the spot. His foot met the ball, and the ball met the crossbar. The miss sent the match into the penalty kick shootout eventually won by La Celeste.
The two goals of the match that held until the end came in regulation. Sulley Muntari put the Black Stars up 1-0 with a spectacular 40-yard blast in the first half, and Diego Forlán scored an equally impressive goal from a free kick to pull Uruguay even early in the second half.
Play in the first half swung like a heavy pendulum, with Uruguay dominating for the first 25 minutes before Ghana took control with great spead and accurate one-time passes.
Uruguay had three good chances in the first 45, but none of them went in. The first shot on goal would come in the 11th minute, as Uruguay’s Luis Suárez cut in from the left flank and dribbled past center back Isaac Vorsah to let loose a right-footer that goalkeeper Richard Kingson easily saved.
The South Americans kept pushing forward and nearly got lucky on a set piece. Diego Forlán took a corner kick in the 18th minute that Edinson Cavani grazed. The ball ended up ricocheting off Ghana defender John Mensah before bouncing off the head of Kingson in front of goal.
It was all Ghana for the last 20 minutes of the half, giving Uruguay a bit of a scare at the half-hour mark, when Prince Boateng dribbled around one defender and laid the ball off to Gyan, whose one-timer grazed the outer side of the netting.
Finally, two minutes into first-half stoppage time, the Black Stars broke through. Muntari got the ball near the midfielder circle, turned and dribbled a couple of yards before unleashing a left-footed blast from 40 yards that bounced once and went past the goalie Muslera.
Uruguay, who had never been down in the World Cup, went on the attack in the second half, and it paid off when they found the equalizer 10 minutes in. Forlán, the conductor that operates the Uruguay offensive machine, took a free kick from the left edge of the box and curled in a beautiful shot over the wall and past an outstretched Kingson.
The game opened up, with each side battling back and forth and creating some good chances, ultimately providing one of the most entertaining halves of this year’s World Cup as regulation time ended in a draw and sent the teams into extra time.
During the added 30 minutes of play, exhausted legs and tired minds became a little too heavy to keep up the back-and-forth action from the second half. Nonetheless, Ghana had just a little extra in the tank and nearly put the game away the most ridiculous 60 seconds of any World Cup match in recent memory.
Ghana, who had been pressuring during the last five minutes of play, earned a late free kick on the right flank. The ball was swung in and, after a series of nervous bounces in the box, a Black Star put his head on the ball. Seemingly about to go in, Suárez, standing on the line, knocked the ball out with his hand, automatically drawing the red card from the referee.
Ghana thought they had the match as Gyan set the ball down on the spot to take the penalty. But he put too much power behind his kick and crashed the ball into the crossbar. Uruguay was saved and the game went to a penalty kick shootout.
Uruguay took the first turn in the shootout. Forlán, Mauricio Victorino, Andrés Scotti and Abreu each converted their penalty kick, while Maxi Pereira missed.
For Ghana, Gyan and Stephen Appiah both made their shots. Mensah and Dominic Adiyiah had their shots saved.
Uruguay now go on to face the Netherlands, who beat Brazil earlier on Friday, in the semifinals.
Scoring Summary:
GHA – Muntari (45’ + 2’)
URU – Forlán (55’)
Lineups:
Uruguay -- Muslera; Fucile, Victorino, Lugano (Scotti, 38’), M. Pereira; Cavani (Abreu, 76’), Arévalo, Pérez, A. Fernández (Lodeiro, 46’); Suárez, Forlán
Ghana -- Kingson; Sapei, Mensah, Vorsah, Pantsil; Muntari (Adiyiah, 88’), P. Boateng, Annan, Inkoom (Appiah, 74’); Gyan, Asamoah
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