Vital Lessons from Gyan's Penalty kick that kicked Ghana out of South Africa FIFA World Cup 2010.
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So soon it had been ten solid years since Ghana was ousted from the South African world cup. I will like to go down the memory lane a little bit, ten years ago, a great event took place on the continent of Africa for the first time. It was the SOUTH AFRICA 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP!!!
Though it had been a decade( 10 years) I still remember it as if it happened 10 minutes ago.
For the first time in football history, Africa hosted the biggest Football Tournament. South Africa was highly privileged to be the host of such a dramatic and historic event.
The Opening Ceremony was very colourful. A rich display of art and Africa culture.
I'm not sure any African Country
would ever forget that historic World cup and the football heroes that partook in it in to lift high the honours of their motherland.
It wasn't just a footballing event. It was also about national pride, patriotism and culture.
Perhaps one Africa nation that stood tall in that historic event was Ghana. Why?
At the Quarter final stage ( Round of 8) of the match, all African countries have been obliterated from the football scene except one Ghana in what was just their second World Cup campaign after defeating USA, 2-1 at the round of 16.
Milovan Rajevac was Ghanaians Coach then. The main Goalkeeper was Richard Kingson and the Captain of the side was Stephen Appiah but occasionally John Mensah took the captain's armband.
Kevin-Prince Boateng was a charismatic Midfielders and a much loved football celebrity by thousands of girls round the world.
Sulley Muntari's superb long distance shot which resulted into a magnificent goal wouldn't be forgotten.
In all these , one character would forever remained etched in the minds of Ghanaians forever.
He was no other person than the former Sunderland striker Asamoah Gyan.
As I said early on, It was the Quarter-finals of the world cup.
The date was July 2, 2010.
Ghana was battling it out with Uruguay. Other African countries were banking their hope on Ghana. To them Ghana represented the hope they had lost.
The fans were numberless. The vuvuzelas were loud.! Vooooo!Vooooooooooo!!!
About Fifteen seconds to the end of first half Sulley Muntari retrieved the ball from Egidio Arevalo and shot it from 40 yards towards the goal post. The ball swerved,beat Fernando Muslera and entered the net. It was a goal. ⚽️
A superb long distance strike.
The second half saw a turn of the drama. Diego Forlan's magnificently curved stunning free kick awed Richard Kingson of Ghana and ended up in the Ghanaian goal post. Goal⚽️
Richard Kingson saved some crucial shots from luiz Suarez, a name that eventually became an anathema in the ears of Ghanaians.
The Ghana -Uruguayan match was in the dying embers of the extra-time at the Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg.
The playtime was 120 + 1.27 minutes.
About a minutes to the end of the game, a drama unfolded.
A free kick was played by John Paintsil that set in motion a plethora of events that would become the world cup's most memorable and historic Moment in South Africa.
Kelvin Prince Boateng flicked on John Pantsil’s free-kick. Muslera intuitively came out to block Mensah’s header.
The rebound fell to Stephen Appiah, who hooked it towards the mouth of the goal post but Suarez stuck out a leg and sent it up in the air.
Dominic Adiyiah met the ball with a stronger header but his header was blocked by the ever adventurous player Luis Suarez using his hands!!!!🖐
Consequently, Luis Suarez was given a straight red card by Referee Olegario Benquerenca. He left the field crying.
Ghana had been awarded a penalty. At that crucial moment, Ghana had the chance to put Africa's feet in the semi finals of the world cup for the first time and making a history that would be remembered throughout the ages.
Everyone stood still waiting for the history maker to live up to expectations. After all, he had proven himself to be a reliable player.
Millions of fans round the world had their eyes glued to the TV. It was an enerving moment. The tension was great. Ghanaian fans in the stadium roared with joy.
Others at home were highly expectant.
To most of them, it was a done deal. The only thing needed was to complete the sequence.
The Vuvuzelas went berserk making defeaning noises, drowning the dramatic event unfolding.
My heart skipped a thousand times as my eyes were glued to my TV screen.
Then Asamoah Gyan moved forward to take the penalty kick. Number 3 was emblazoned on his Jersey.
I stopped breathing for a full minute. The referee whistled.
Wheeeeeeee!!!
Gyan took the penalty.I saw the ball leaped in the air.
Then, hmmmmmm.
For thirty seconds the world died. Hopes were dashed. Circles of pain seeped into the heart of football fanatics. I thought I was dreaming.
The kicked ball hit the cross bar and looped over.
The vuvuzelas were silenced in the stadium on the part of Ghanaian fans. Everyone was shocked beyond words.
I woke up later from my shock to accept the reality. Asamoah Gyan had kicked Ghana, and by extension Africa OUT of the world cup by wasting that once- in-a life time penalty.
Millions of fans round the world were heartbroken, their hopes of making history smashed.
At that moment, Gyan's Status changed from most loved football icon in Ghana to a football atimy, hated across the length and breadth of Ghana.
Gyan was inconsolable after the shootout but his inconsolation could not be equiparated with the golden opportunity he had blown away with his foot.
At full time the score was 1-1.
Then came the penalty shoot out.
John Mensah gave the fans another heartbreak from a poorly taken penalty. I believed the heart and soul of the team was long lost.
That could be the logical explanation to John Mensah's penalty which he took as if he was on a training pitch.
To add to the embarrassment, Dominic Adiyah repeated John Mensah's shameful Penalty kick. A poor purposeless penalty.
The fate of the blackstars and Africa was sealed by the Uruguayan Striker Sebastian Abreu who coolly chipped the last penalty kick in to ensure a win for their side.
A hard fought battle.!
Luis Suarez became the Hero. He was held high on shoulders as he celebrated that historic moment.
It was a sad end to a thrilling football match, a match that broke the heart of millions of people round the world and would be regarded as one of the memorable moments in footballing history especially for Africans.
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** The Lessons learnt.***
#1. People will quickly forget all the good works you have done and criticize you for the one mistake you make.
Prior to the penalty brouhaha ,Gyan had been the main play maker and talisman for Ghana in the tournament, scoring the winning goal in the previous rounds against Serbia, Australia and the United States.
But then ,one missed penalty was all it took for his past achievement to be nullified. He became a villain and a hated figure in Ghana.
Gyan himself said , "I went there to save my country, but I ended up being the villain, which I accept because I know how people feel."
#2. Don't count your chicks before they hatch.
When the penalty was awarded to Ghana, everyone was jubilating prior to the penalty kick, including the players who should have known better.
Gyan himself might have felt it was a done deal too. He lose focus on the task ahead. In his celebration mood, he played the penalty which shocked the African world.
#3. After the Pride comes the fall and disgrace.
The black stars of Ghana were modest and humble when they played with Serbia, Australia and Germany.
After their Match against USA which they have won in extra time, most of the players became pompous, assuming an air of superiority.
This got into their head and resulted in their eventual defeat.
#4.Time never heal some wounds.
There is a common saying that time heals wounds. Well, that cannot be applied to every situation. It has been 10 years and a few weeks now since Asamoah Gyan missed that crucial penalty at the Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa. Take an opinion poll among Ghanaians with regards to that penalty miss and the response will amaze you; they have not.
#5. Some mistakes can haunt you forever.
We made certain mistakes in life that will live on our conscience till we die. Even after our demise, it would be a reference point in major events. Asamoah Gyan has admitted his extra-time penalty miss for Ghana against Uruguay in their 2010 World Cup quarter-final will haunt him for the rest of his life.
#6. Sometimes breaking the rules seems to offer more advantages than conforming to the rules.
It is against football rules for a football player to catch a ball with his or her hand unless he's a goalkeeper.
Luis Suarez did that on the world stage and had been penalised. Ghana had been awarded a penalty which was missed. As it turned out, Luis Suarez's hand saved his team from exiting the tournament at the knockout out stage.
His illegality paid out. Ghana's Coach Milovan Rajevac called it 'sporting injustice.'
#7. Some people's absence in your lives can influence you negatively.
The influential midfielder Andre Dede Ayew had served a one-match ban, for his alleged 'foul' on American striker Jozy Altidore during the last 16 game. He was booked by referee Viktor Kassai and consequently missed the friday's quarter final clash with Uruguay which was crucial to his team's progress to the semi finals.His absence created a vacuum in the team and dealt the black stars a massive blow.
This is because Dede Ayew was one of the inspirational figures for the team. It was obvious Andre's absence had negatively impacted the team. Could the story of the
Ghana-Uruguay match have been different if André Dede Ayew were on the field that day? I think so.
#8. Some opportunities are golden.They won't come in your life time again.
Some opportunities would only smile on you only once in a lifetime. South Africa 2010 was our golden moment, we lost it.
Ghana's 2014 World Cup in Brazil was not as lustrous as the South Africa 2010 world cup.
Gyan said, "sometimes I feel like the world should go back again so I can redeem myself. All I was telling myself was to get another chance because I knew I could redeem myself even if not football, something else."
The 2014 world cup in Brazil made the Ghana black stars became a laughing stock World wide unlike the 2010 world cup where they were seen as heroes.
#9.Crying after making a mistake doesn't change the past.
South Africa 2010 ended up in a great disappointment for the black stars. Asamoah Gyan may have cried the whole night until morning but one thing is clear. His sorrows have done nothing to change the narrative and the fact that he missed one of the crucial penalties in world history.
#10. Winners don't give up till the end.
Once Gyan missed that penalty, the players were down- spirited. Their tenacity was broken. Their body language exposed it and it was exhibited in the manner in which
John Mensah and Dominic Adiyah took their penalties.
On the contrary, the Uruguayans were determined and unrelenting to win and they won.
In conclusion, the South African experience will serve as a learning curve for the blackstars so that they will not repeat that costly mistake in future.
Ghanaians needs to learn from that painful experience and discard the painful memory in the incident in the Gabbage of history. Holding onto the past doesn't add any value to our lives but learning from it is important.
Written by: Francis Agamah ✍
agemsfrancis@gmail.com
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