Uruguay Triumphs Over Ghana In Shootout, Africa Out Of Tournament In Heartbreaking Fashion

Uruguay and Ghana played the last fifteen minutes of regulation time without generating significant chances, settling-in to the idea of extra time in their World Cup 2010 quarterfinal match.

Goals by Sulley Muntari and Diego Forlan have carried the teams into extra time drawn at one, with Uruguay having used all of their substitutions. Ghana, playing their second consecutive extra time match, have one substitution remaining.

Shortly after Oscar Tabarez used his final substitution, Milovan Rajevac has used his second, taking off goal scorer Sulley Muntari in favor of starlet Dominic Adiyiah.

Adiyiah, the 20-year-old AC Milan forward, can also play in a wide position. He comes on for the Internazionale striker in the 88th minute.

Because Óscar Tabárez has led in each of his World Cup 2010 matches, he hasn’t had the opportunity to make one of his standard, late match substitutions. Today, drawn 1-1 with Ghana in the 76th minute, Tabárez has been able to bring on El Loco, Sebastián Abreu, for Edinson Cavani.

Abreu is Uruguay’s target striker, typically used as a late match substitution when the side elects to start throwing more crosses in the box, hoping for a goal through the air.

One of the least experienced Ghanaian players has come off for one of the most, with Samuel Inkoom being replaced by Stephen Appiah.

Appiah came on in the 74th minute for the 20-year-old defender, who has played midfield in the last two matches.

Luis Suarez test Richard Kingson in the 70th minute, being put in alone to the left of goal for a point blank shot on the Ghanaian keeper, the Uruguayan’s shot being pushed over the bar.

Suarez was put through by Nicolas Lodiero after some nice on touch passing through the right side of defense. Suarez’s right footed shot was right at Kingson, who used two hands to lift it over the bar.

The second Jabulani goal of the match has brought Uruguay even, with a 20 yard direct kick from Diego Forlán in the 55th minute going over the Ghanaian wall and swerving to the right, around goalkeeper Richard Kingson, for the equalizing goal.

The original flight of Forlán’s shot took the ball just to the right of Kingson’s wall, to which the goalkeeper reacted by moving to his right. The ball then kept moving to Kingson’s left and went into the next, the second time tonight a goalkeeper allowed a goal through misjudging the flight of a long shot.

There is another match today.

And you thought the Dutch beating Brazil was big.