One of the most spiteful rivalries in modern World Cup history will be renewed on Saturday morning as Luis Suarez’ Uruguay faces Ghana, 12 years on from ‘the Hand of God 2’.
The African side is well-positioned to make the knockout stage in Qatar, likely just needing a draw against the South Americans – though a win would ensure South Korea cannot pass them in Group H by beating Portugal.
It would be sweet revenge after the South Africa 2010 quarter-final incident that robbed Ghana of a fairytale spot in the last four at the first World Cup played on their continent.
On that fateful night, Uruguay forward Suarez blocked what would have been an extra-time winner for Ghana with his hand.
Suarez was sent off but Asamoah Gyan missed the resulting penalty, Suarez celebrated wildly from the sideline and Uruguay went on to reach the semi-finals by winning 4-2 in the penalty shootout.
Current Ghana captain Andre Ayew is the only surviving member from that day and while he admits people back home might be focused on revenge, he is keen to focus on qualification out of Group H.
“Everyone felt bad but for me I just want to get to the next stage,” he told reporters in Qatar after a thrilling 3-2 win over South Korea earlier this week.
“Revenge or not, we would go with the same determination and desire to win because we want to get to the next stage.
“I am not looking back, I don’t want to focus on the past.”
Thomas Partey, Ghana’s Arsenal midfielder, had a similar message. He was playing under-12s football at the time in Ghana and remembers how “everybody was sad” following the painful Uruguay loss.
“But now we have another chance and we have to work harder to qualify,” he said. “We have to forget what happened, this is a new time.”
Ghana coach Otto Addo played down the significance of the rematch after what happened in 2010, saying it was a long time ago.
“I’m a strong believer if you don’t seek too much for revenge for these kind of things, sometimes you get even more blessings,” he said.
However former Ghana midfielder Ibrahim Ayew, able to speak more freely given his lack of ties to the current side, believes his entire continent is backing his nation.
“I thought we had won,” Ayew told The Athletic.
“I was a substitute, warming up behind that goal, and I ran onto the pitch to celebrate because I was sure the ball had crossed the line. I thought we had done it, the first African team ever to reach the semi-final of the World Cup.”
He continued: “We weren’t just playing for Ghana. We were playing for Africa.
“We could feel the whole of Africa behind us. We could feel it on our shoulders.
“We all believed in Asamoah and he believed in himself. Stephen Appiah handed him the ball and said, ‘Go and score. Make the whole of Africa proud.’”
Yet the miss and Suarez’ mad celebrations, showing a total lack of remorse, only made the situation worse – and created a scar that has never healed.
“The whole of Ghana hates him and the whole of Africa hates him,” Ayew said.
“Oh yes,” he added with a slight chuckle. “We hate him. And we want revenge.”
The match-up has been awaited for months, ever since the two nations were drawn together in Group H.
“We believe it will be revenge time,” Ghana Football Association president Kurt Okraku said at the time. “It is important that we all set the record straight.”
Even president Nana Akufo-Addo chipped in: “We’ve had to wait for 12 years to get revenge against Uruguay — and we assure them that this time the hand of Suarez will not save them against the Black Stars of Ghana. They are going down!”
Meanwhile Suarez and Uruguay have their own issues to deal with, facing the ignominy of crashing out of the World Cup with a whimper – but it is coach Diego Alonso who is taking the flak back home.
With Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi soaking up the limelight at what is likely to be their last World Cup, Uruguay’s two veterans have flown under the radar.
Suarez and Cavani, both 35, have already said this will be their last World Cup and after a drab 0-0 draw with South Korea and a 2-0 defeat to Portugal, Saturday’s final Group H clash with Ghana could be their final act on the biggest stage.
While not mentioned in the same breath as Ronaldo and Messi, Suarez and Cavani are nonetheless two of the greatest forwards of their generation.
They occupy the top two spots on Uruguay’s all-time record scorers’ list, with Suarez as number one, and were part of the teams that reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2010 before winning the Copa America the following year.
But while Messi scored in Argentina’s 2-0 victory over Mexico in Qatar and Ronaldo made history as the first player to score in five World Cups, the Uruguayan pair have been a huge disappointment.
Suarez started against South Korea and barely had a kick before he was replaced by Cavani in the second half.
The roles were reversed against Portugal, and although they both had a single chance they each failed to get it on target.
But in Uruguay the focus has not been on the veteran strikers. Instead it is Alonso who has been subjected to critical scrutiny.
Following the Portugal defeat he was asked about his perceived negative tactics in Qatar, being unfavourably compared to his previous more expansive style that helped Uruguay win their final four qualifiers to book their ticket to Doha.
“We have not stopped doing it (attacking) but the opposition are also playing,” said Alonso.
“That doesn’t mean that we don’t want to try. Sometimes your opponents are also competing, playing well and preventing you from getting into the positions you want.”
In their first mach in Qatar, against the Koreans, Uruguay failed to muster a single shot on target, although they did hit the woodwork twice.
Against Portugal, they struggled to get hold of the ball in the first half, although they hit the post through Maxi Gomez after the break.
“Uruguay did not lose because of Diego Alonso’s 3-5-2 formation,” said sports newspaper Ovacion. “But it would have been very difficult to win playing like this.”
There are also rumours of discord within the ranks after Cavani gave a terse and suggestive reply to a question about what was happening with Uruguay.
“You have to ask Alonso this,” he said. “He will be able to tell you more about the tactics.”
Cavani appeared unimpressed when his number came up against Portugal, with Uruguay a goal down and needing to chase the game.
Some commentators have acknowledged the limitations of the two 35-year-olds but still are not pointing the finger at them for Uruguay’s failures.
“The sharp shooter (Suarez) is not the same as before. The years are passing, and he’s not that player that chased every ball and always won challenges with defenders,” said Uruguayan newspaper El Observador after the team’s first match.
The fault, said the newspaper, lay with those meant to create the chances.
“In the second half Cavani came on, but it was more of the same, because without support he didn’t have any chances.”
Unless either can roll back the years against Ghana, the careers of two of Uruguay’s greatest players could end in anti-climax.
But, for Ghana, it would be a sweet farewell – and joy at returning to the round of 16.
