FIFA Ranking: Ghana (61), Uruguay (14)
It’s been 12 years since fresh-faced Luis Suarez clawed a light ball from Jabulani to deprive Ghana of a last-minute scoring chance in the 2010 World Cup quarter-final in South Africa.
Suarez was sent off and Ghana was awarded a penalty in the 120th minute but Asamoah Gyan missed. Uruguay will win the next penalty shootout and break Ghanaians’ hearts in one of the most brutal matches in World Cup history.
This time, La Celeste and the Black Stars meet in a group stage match, but again, both teams’ place in the next round depends on the outcome of the match.
Ghana entered the match with three points, after losing 2-3 to star-studded Portugal, but came back to beat South Korea by a similar score line in a thrilling second game from start to finish.
A win would guarantee Ghana a place in the round of 16, but a draw could be enough unless South Korea beat Portugal by two goals or more in the final group stage match.
Uruguay are in a worse position as they go into the game with just one point after a goalless draw with South Korea. Uruguay lost their second match 2-0 to Portugal, meaning they are yet to score in this tournament.
Scoring will be key in their clash with Ghana as they must win if they want to stand a chance of qualifying. With Edison Cavani, Darwin Núñez and Luis Suarez all available, Uruguay should be able to end their goal drought.
Interestingly, like Ghana, Uruguay hopes Korea will not play too well against Portugal. If La Celeste beat Ghana, they can advance to the next round if Korea loses or draws in the final match. If Uruguay and South Korea win, the goal difference, number of goals lost or fair-play can determine who will join Portugal in the round of 16 of Group H.
While the behind-the-scenes experts will follow these equations, the players themselves will find a way to keep it simple: all they can do is score and win.
History is about to set again between Ghana and Uruguay. FIFA WORLD CUP 2010 in South Africa was unforgettable history between Ghana and Uruguay clash, and it is happening in Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022 today Qatar time 18:00pm, Ghana time 15:00GMT.
