Uruguay exit World Cup despite win over Ghana

A 2-0 win for Uruguay over Ghana wasn't enough for La Celeste, as they crashed out of the World Cup on goal difference along with the Black Stars after a dramatic encounter at the Al Janoub Stadium on Friday.

In a game awash with incident, Andre Ayew missed a first-half penalty for Ghana, who were consigned to defeat by two goals from Giorgian de Arrascaeta.

Ghana were unable to come back to claim the draw they needed to qualify, while Uruguay exited the tournament on goal difference after South Korea's 2-1 win over Portugal. 

The Action: With a lot of focus ahead of the game on Luis Suarez' handball against Ghana at the 2010 World Cup, and Asamoah Gyan's subsequent penalty miss, it was written in the stars that this game would feature some penalty drama of its own - and so it came to pass. 

Just after the 15 minute mark Mohammed Kudus went down under a challenge from Uruguayan keeper Sergio Rochet, but there seemed little problem given that an offside had been awarded in the build-up, during which Rochet had turned away a shot from the Black Eagles. However, a lengthy VAR review ensued and a penalty given to Ghana.

Handed a perfect opportunity to exorcise the demons of 12 years ago, Andre Ayew stepped forward and fluffed his lines, his tame effort saved by a jubilant Rochet who was adamant that he hadn't touched Kudus in the first place. 

Reeling from Ayew's botched penalty, Ghana looked rattled and almost immediately conceded when Darwin Nunez raced through on goal and chipped the advancing Lawrence Ati-Zigi only for Southampton defender Mohammed Salisu to clear off the line. 

Uruguay kept knocking on the door, however, and they took the lead after 26 minutes through Giorgian de Arrascaeta. A large slice of Providence was again involved, as that man Suarez was heavily involved in Uruguay's opener, the former Liverpool and Barcelona forward getting a fierce shot off after some dodgy defending from the Ghanaians. 

Although Ati-Zigt took some of the sting off Suarez's strike, Arrascaeta was on hand to bundle home at the far post. 1-0. 

For possibly the first time in the tournament, Diego Alonso's men had a spring in their step and they extended their lead around the half hour mark. A lovely move on the edge of the Ghana box worked the ball to Suarez, and his lovely first time lob was perfect for Arrascaeta to smash home a well-executed volley for his second of the match. 

Giorgian De Arrascaeta’s first half by numbers vs. Ghana:

21 touches
2 ground duels won

2 shots
2 goals
1 interception
1 big chance created

Big impact on his first World Cup Start. 🇺🇾 pic.twitter.com/Sp1keGLrg0

— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) December 2, 2022

With South Korea tied at 1-1 with Portugal at the break, Uruguay entered half-time knowing that if they held their advantage and the Koreans did not beat Portugal then they were through. Ghana knew they had to mount a comeback and claim a draw to qualify. 

Otto Addo's team talk looked to have had some effect, as the Black Stars started the second period brightly, their main man Kudus close to getting on the end of a cross-shot from the right (even though he was well offside!) shortly after the restart and sub Kamaldeen Sulemana getting behind the Uruguay defence to create a bit of havoc.

However, the Ghanaians were nearly down and out just before the hour mark when they survived a penalty scare. Leicester defender Daniel Amartey had not enjoyed a good game and his industrial tackle on Nunez bore all the hallmarks of a penalty offence. However, the Black Stars defender had glanced the ball in the process of hauling down the Uruguay forward and that saved his bacon.

Uruguay were inches from making it 3-0 moments later: some sharp play in Ghana's box ended with Suarez slipping the ball to Facundo Pellestri whose snapshot flew wide of the target when, really, he should have been hitting it.

Ajax attacker Kudus looked Ghana's best bet if they were to turn the game around, and some lovely footwork on the edge of the box on 70 minutes created a yard for the exciting talent, but he was unable to control a wild strike that flew high and wide of the target. 

The Black Stars kept plugging away and on 78 minutes they had a glorious chance to drag themselves back into the contest. It was a huge moment for Bristol City forward Antoine Semenyo and one that he will wish he had shown greater composure for, as he dragged his shot wide of the target from a great position.

Kudus then saw a fantastic strike from distance saved at full stretch from Rochet with the clock ticking down on Ghana's World Cup adventure.

With five minutes left, the twist in the tale arrived! The stadium went eerily quiet and TV cameras panned to a tearful Suarez as news filtered through of South Korea taking the lead against Portugal...which meant La Celeste needed to find a goal. 

That goal so nearly arrived on 88 minutes when Edinson Cavani's header was acrobatically turned over the bar by Ghana stopper Ati-Zigi, replays suggesting Cavani was marginally offside. 

With Suarez's head buried in his shirt in the Uruguay dugout, the match lurched into added time: 8 minutes of it. 

For a game that was preceded by talk of penalties, and that had already featured Ayew's missed spot-kick, there was still time for more penalty controversy. Cavani fell theatrically to the floor with the entire Uruguay bench begging for a decision, but the appeal was waved away.

The game flowed from end-to-end with both sides desperate for goals and Maxi Gomez saw a long range effort turned around the post.

No goals were forthcoming, however, to send both sides out of the competition. Livid at the referee, the Uruguayans harangued the officials off the pitch, but ultimately they did not do enough to secure their place in the last 16 of the competition.

Moment of the match: What were the odds of another missed penalty on the World Cup stage for Ghana against Uruguay? However long they may have been, there were clear echoes of Gyan's miss against La Celeste in 2010 when Ayew placed the ball down for a spot-kick that was made even more dramatic by a long wait for VAR to deliver its verdict. Ayew never looked convinced that he could right the wrongs of history and his poor effort was saved by a gleeful Sergio Rochet. It proved the catalyst for Uruguay's victory. 

Man of the match: Luis Suarez's name will be trending given the backstory, his involvement in Uruguay's goals, and his tearful reaction at the end of the game. It's fair to say that Suarez was upstaged by two-goal Arrascaeta though. The Flamengo playmaker was surprisingly benched at the beginning of the tournament, but his predatory instincts came to the fore and his two goals looked to have paved the way to the last 16. Subbed with plenty of time still on the clock, Uruguay could have done with him on the pitch late on. 

xG: Ghana (1.38) 0-2 (1.68) Uruguay

😔 pic.twitter.com/1IMFw5gvaI

— Warriors of Uruguay (@UruguayanHeroes) December 2, 2022