The way Uruguay - Ghana ended today makes up for an instant classic. A flurry of action in front of the net led to the ball bouncing around like a pinball. Suarez managed to block the first shot back into the fray of people but the second shot is what started the madness. He blocked the shot like he was playing in the NBA quarterfinals instead of the World Cup quarterfinals. The ref immediately showed him red and awarded the penalty.
The whole audience including television viewers thought Ghana was clear through to the semi's, I mean, Asamoah Gyan is going to hammer this ball into the back of the net and all of Africa would be crushing beers out of vuvuzelas. He places the ball on the spot and smacks it right off the cross bar. I felt absolutely gutted for Ghana. For the second time I've noticed, the vuvuzelas were silent. The first time would have been when South Africa went down 3-0 against Uruguay.
That miss later proved to be the pivotal moment for Ghana and they crashed out in penalties 4-2. Gyan did bang the fist one home for Ghana, respect for him for overcoming the pressure. Uruguay's keeper Fernando Muslera was jacked up, shaking fingers and showing his best "not in my house" face.
After the game Twitter updates were showing that people thought Suarez was a cheat for his blatant handball. I do not agree with that. I think it smart. He saved the tournament for Uruguay, granted they will have a heck of a time against Holland. He received the punishment he deserved and Ghana was given the chance to win the game. The ref couldn't have done a better job, it was flawless. The same scenario would be if an NBA player purposely fouled someone who was going up for a dunk at the end of a game that was tied. The player gets the foul and the chance to win it from the free-throw line. Ghana just couldn't close the deal and Uruguay capitalized on the second chance. Remember Ghana....
Also, here is Forlan's stunning free kick to tie it up.
Suarez photo from: AP Fernando Vergara
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