[Sport] Uruguay and Ghana set for epic rematch 12 years after controversial World Cup quarterfinal clash

[REFLX]

Uruguay and Ghana’s quarterfinal meeting at South Africa 2010 is widely viewed as one of the most iconic World Cup matches in history.

On a tense evening in Johannesburg, this was a game that had everything; drama, controversy, heartbreak, a villain and a hero – incidentally, both played by the same person.

Luis Suárez’s role as Uruguay’s savior that night made him persona non grata in Ghana, even earning him the nickname ‘El Diablo,’ or ‘The Devil.’

With the scores level at 1-1 and the game approaching the final seconds of extra time, Suárez blocked a goal-bound winner on the line with his hands. It was a goal that would have put Ghana into the World Cup semifinal, making it the first African team in history to reach the final four.

Instead, Suárez was sent off, but Asamoah Gyan, Ghana’s star man and captain, missed the penalty. Images of Suárez wildly celebrating the miss in the tunnel became one of the enduring moments of that World Cup and only further angered the already incandescent Ghanaian supporters.

Ghana went on to lose the subsequent penalty shootout and with it the team’s chance at creating history.

Now, ahead of the first meeting between these sides since that memorable night more than 12 years ago, Suárez insists he has nothing to say sorry for.

“I don’t apologize about that … but the player is gonna miss a penalty,” Suárez told reporters in the buildup to the rematch, per Reuters. “Maybe, I can say [I] apologize if I injure the player and take a red card.

“But in this situation, I take a red card and the ref said penalty. This is not my fault because I didn’t miss. It’s not my responsibility to shoot the penalty.”

Time heals all wounds, as the saying goes, but that clearly hasn’t been the case with Ghana’s feelings towards Suárez. 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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