831 gamers, 32 groups and 4 matches per day – following the soccer World Cup can get slightly overwhelming. For the subsequent month, The Indian Categorical will minimize via the litter and handpick the most important storyline of the day each morning.
Showcase gameGhana vs Uruguay (Group H)8.30 pm, Al Janoub Stadium
Luis Suarez was as unremorseful on Thursday as he was 12 years in the past.
Through the pre-match press convention in Doha, a Ghanaian journalist didn’t mince phrases in describing how the nation felt in regards to the Uruguayan striker. “Some Ghana followers really feel you’re the satan itself,” the journalist started, happening to say how the nation was wanting ahead to his retirement earlier than finally asking him if he’d apologise.
Suarez, fairly cheekily, replied: “(sic) I did handball the ball, however the Ghana participant missed the penalty, not me. Possibly I might apologise if I did a deal with, injured a participant and took a pink card. However on this state of affairs… It’s not my fault. I didn’t miss the penalty. The participant who missed the penalty, he would do the identical. It’s not my accountability how he shot the penalty.”
🎙 “I didn’t miss the penalty”
Luis Suarez responds to a reporter who requested him if he’s ever thought of apologising for his notorious handball in 2010 FIFA World Cup quarter-final in opposition to Ghana 👇 pic.twitter.com/pCGYJ96kPb
— Sky Sports activities Information (@SkySportsNews) December 1, 2022
And thus, the stage was set for a spicy reunion between the 2 groups who final met on that fateful night at Soccer Metropolis in Johannesburg in 2010. It was the quarterfinals of the World Cup and Ghana had dished out some breathtaking soccer to stretch a star-studded Uruguayan aspect that had the likes of Suarez and Diego Forlan enjoying at their peak.
The rating was 1-1 when the clock ticked into the ultimate minute of additional time. Ghana had gained a free-kick on the fitting flank and a cross was whipped into the field that precipitated full mayhem. It was flicked goalwards by a Ghanaian head; the Uruguayan goalkeeper stepped out to catch the ball however fully missed it; a defender then made a goal-line clearance which went straight to Dominic Adiyah, whose header was properly on course.
At that time, celebrations had already began contained in the stadium in Johannesburg, on the streets of Accra, and the entire of Africa. With the goalkeeper on the bottom and only one man on the road, nothing – it appeared throughout that second – may cease Ghana from scoring the objective which might’ve made them the primary workforce from the continent to succeed in the semifinals of the World Cup.
Simply then, Suarez popped out of nowhere and stopped Adiyah’s header from going into the objective. It was a point-blank save that any goalkeeper would’ve been pleased with, however Suarez was given his marching orders for intentionally dealing with the ball.
A continent shocked
At that time, one may really feel African hearts being damaged into one million items. There was shocked silence within the stadium, and throughout public screenings in South Africa the place the complete host nation was rooting for them. The gamers themselves appeared bowled over by Suarez’s audacity. They by no means recovered from it – Asamoah Gyan missed the ensuing penalty and the Black Stars finally misplaced the match within the penalty shootout.
When Gyan fluffed his probability, Suarez broke into wild celebrations to additional antagonise a nation and a continent. It was, fairly famously, dubbed the ‘Hand of Satan’ second, in reference to Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ objective vs England in 1986.
“ We strategy each sport with the identical mentality ”⚔️
🔗 https://t.co/EYMobC7nfU#TeamGhana | #BlackStars | #FIFAWorldCup | #Qatar2022 pic.twitter.com/qH0LKKYSWZ
— 🇬🇭 Black Stars (@GhanaBlackstars) November 30, 2022
Suarez, whereas speaking to his former Barcelona teammate Gerard Pique in a Gamers Tribune interview, recalled that second: “I took a danger in a state of affairs the place I’ve been blamed for anti-fair play… I celebrated like that for having taken a danger for one thing that was price it. And I do not forget that I celebrated it greater than a objective. A teammate on the bench handed out on that play (laughs). Juan Castillo… He handed out in celebration of the penalty kick. And properly, I left screaming (extra laughter).”
The second has turn into part of World Cup lore however, as was evident from the query put forth to Suarez on Thursday, for the Ghanaians, it isn’t a laughing matter. They nonetheless really feel the ache of being robbed of an opportunity to create historical past.
On Friday, after they meet once more, feelings will fly excessive. The winner will knock the opposite workforce out of the match. For the Black Stars, that is their second to bury the ghosts of Soccer Metropolis and make it previous the group phases for the primary time since 2010.
For Uruguay, who’ve been fairly flat to date in Qatar, it’s an opportunity to pile additional distress on Ghana. They usually’ll hope to get a serving to hand from Suarez.
Different fixtures on the day:
Portugal vs South Korea, 8.30 pm, Training Metropolis Stadium
Brazil vs Cameroon, 12.30 am (Saturday), Lusail Stadium
Switzerland vs Serbia, 12.30 am (Saturday), Stadium 974