South Africa 2010: Ghana’s Finest Hour
A nation dared to dream
“Beware of barking at underdogs; don’t fight with people who have nothing to lose.” — Dory Previn.
When backs are against the wall, it’s how you react that defines you and ultimately where you will end up. Oftentimes, people fold under pressure, but magic can happen when people choose to challenge the normal.
The norm in football and sports in general is that more often than not the best teams win. Underdogs provide shocks from time to time but still like life the best dominate.
In 2010, the trend was expected to continue. The World Cup had arrived, and much was expected of teams like Italy and Germany. Although the tournament was hosted in South Africa, African countries weren’t seen as potential winners of the competition, and rightfully so.
No African country had ever crossed the quarterfinal stage, but if anyone was going to it surely had to be Ivory Coast. With some international stars like Didier Drogba, Yaya Toure, and Salomon Kalou, they were seen as the African team that would likely make waves and light up the continent.
Little did anyone know that Black Stars would shine the brightest.
Although I was 6, I had watched enough sports with my dad to notice the trend. The best win! Plain and simple.
Thankfully though in the innocence of my childhood, I thought we were the best. I thought my country Ghana would steamroll and annihilate anybody and everybody and bring back the “big golden shiny trophy.”
Looking back now at 20 years of age, I realize that this is exactly what helped the team all those years ago. They were able to take the fearlessness of youth and use it as a weapon to achieve what I now in my maturity see as incredible.
Ghana started off the tournament with a well-deserved victory against Serbia thanks to a brilliant strike by talisman and striker Asamoah Gyan before drawing to Australia. This meant that heading into the final game against Germany, Ghana somehow had to win or draw.
I said somehow because this was Germany one of the best teams in the world. Not even my ignorance could convince me, I knew deep down that the Germans were the better team.
Ghana lost thanks to a brilliant goal by Ozil. I recently watched the match back and to my surprise, the Black Stars were the better team! Ghana managed to stand toe-to-toe with the Germans by playing with heart and fight.
The players fought for every ball and were unlucky not to win. God showed us mercy and despite the loss, Ghana managed to go through to the next round to face THE USA.
The team back then had one major weapon on its side. Unpredictability! No team no matter how much game film they watched, could prepare themselves adequately against that side.
The core of the squad was from the U-20 side. It was mostly relative unknowns and had only recently been integrated into the squad. Nobody on the Black Stars squad embodied this dangerous unpredictability than Kevin-Prince Boateng and Asamoah Gyan. Together it provided the perfect arsenal up front to defeat the Americans.
With five minutes gone, the ball broke to Kevin in the middle of the park. Ten seconds later, the ball was in the back of the net. Stride after stride, Kevin ate up the grass and managed to drive a low hard shot past Tim Howard, The US goalkeeper.
That goal shook the foundations of the country as everyone together in every bar or house screamed with excitement.
The nation for that period had come together as one. That excitement though turned into anxiety, after Landon Donovan slotted home from the spot just past the hour mark. The match finished 1–1 after full-time.
What was to come was a piece of brilliance made even sweeter by the soundtrack behind it.
Three minutes from the restart, Andre Ayew hooked the Jabulani ball forward. Asamoah Gyan latched onto it. With the American defender bearing down on him, he shrugged him off, chested it down, and unleashed a bullet of a volley into the back of the net.
Shouts of joy echoed throughout the country as the nation seemed to shout in unison, “GOOOOAL!”
The Americans huffed and puffed but to no avail. Ghana was through to the quarterfinals of The World Cup!
“Fairy tale does not deny the existence of sorrow and failure: the possibility of these is necessary to the joy of deliverance. It denies universal defeat, giving a fleeting glimpse of joy, joy beyond the walls of the world, poignant as grief.”
— English writer Jolkien Rolkien
Uruguay stood between Ghana and immortality. It stood between Ghana and history. No African team had ever reached as far as the last four, and as the last remaining African nation, it had the support of the entire continent behind us.
Before the start of the match, the national anthems were played. As the whole nation sang with the players, a loud roar followed at the end. The players were visibly pumped and ready to give everything.
Uruguay though was no easy opponent and had experience all over the pitch, coupled with a star-studded frontline of Forlan, Suarez, and Cavani. It started off the game the much brighter of the two and could have easily taken the lead on a couple of occasions.
Ghana’s keeper Richard Kingson saved goals numerous times in the early goings. Around the 20th-minute mark though, things started to shift as the crowd tried its best to rally behind the team.
Fair to say that Ghana had the home advantage. As the match progressed the better, we became, and on the stroke of halftime. Muntari picked up the ball from 35 yards and struck an unstoppable swerving shot past the Uruguayan keeper.
The roar that followed in Ghana was tremendous as people shouted for joy.
The second half continued with the Black Stars continuing to dominate until Forlan scored an outrageous free kick to draw the South Americans level.
Dead silence soon followed.
Nervousness filled the house. Even my father who normally berates someone when we concede was dead silent. The game was that important.
As the match progressed into somewhat of a battle neither side could find a way through before full time. Extra time followed and all of a sudden, the Black Stars started to play better and dominate through sheer will.
Ghana was on top and slowly but surely, we became more and more upbeat at home. Everyone except for my mom though, she could barely watch. As time ticked on, we couldn’t find a winner.
In the dying seconds though, the Black Stars received a free kick in a decent position wide. A swing of the ball into the box, a mishandling by the keeper, a header into the net, a save by the keeper, or so I thought.
Everyone in the house started screaming for a penalty!
Again, everyone except my mom still couldn’t bear to look. I was still confused, and my confusion increased when the ref gave Ghana a penalty and sent Suarez off.
The replays had shown that Suarez was the one who saved the ball. We all jumped with excitement as John Mensah, the team captain, and the whole team pumped their fists into the air as well.
Our moment had arrived!
That excitement turned into nervousness as Asamoah Gyan stepped up to take the penalty kick.
One hit, one thud of the bar, Silence.
The whole country was left stunned as the ball cannoned off the upright and into the sky. The visual of Suarez laughing and jumping for joy is one I can never get out of my head.
One penalty after the other and still there was nothing to separate Ghana and Uruguay.
Up stepped captain John Mensah to take his kick.
His shot was easily saved by the keeper giving Uruguay the chance to seal our fate. And so, Uruguay did as one of its defenders coolly chipped the ball into the net to give their country the victory.
That night and that feeling of defeat is something I can’t erase from my memory.
It’s a night that millions of Ghanaians will never forget. It stopped a fairytale in the cruelest way possible and left a feeling of injustice and grief.
But as the dust settled, and time ticked away, that feeling changed. A country was brought together by 23 men.
Men who fought against all the odds. Men who chose not to accept their fate and dared to dream. Men who inspired a generation to believe that anything is possible. Men who defied the norm and changed the perception of not only a country but an entire continent.
These men lifted the banner of Ghana and Africa high and showed that we can also achieve big things.
Inspiration can come from many places and things. But so often in the face of adversity and trouble, we refuse not to be inspired and look down when faced with an obstacle.
That team was written off by pretty much everybody back home and abroad. Not much was said about its chances to go far in the competition because, to every mature individual, Ghana was just there to make up the numbers.
But the team refused to play the role everyone was handing out to them and fearlessly took on the world.
Yes, Ghana didn’t get its hands on the ultimate prize, but its courage and refusal to lie down and be beaten shows the nation’s team is capable of achieving awesome things if it aims high and fights for what we want.
No matter your position in life, your circumstances don’t define you or your destination. Rather it is your willingness to not lie down and fight for something that does.
My heroes showed that through grit and a never say die attitude anyone, and I mean anyone can achieve greatness.
Thank you for reading my story
