Pierre Boisrond has followed soccer and the World Cup
closely for many years and also writes for other websites. We at PWC are proud to have him as
a columnist. He will share his views about the past, present and future of
the World Cup.
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Uruguay through; Ghana ended US dream
The rendez-vous on June 26th was at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth, South Africa for the game between Uruguay vs. South Korea. The South Koreans did not come to speculate in this game. Their main objective was to win the game and earned a birth to the quarter finals. The South Koreans had the early warning for the Uruguayan after Park Chu Young’s free kick hit the right goal post of Uruguay. However, Uruguay rapidly came with a response for the South Koreans after the talented Diego Forlan sent a low cross that Luis Suarez put in the bottom of the net at the 8th minute. Uruguay quickly took the lead 1-0. The South Koreans’ defense and the goalie, Jung-Sung Ryong, lost their concentration and therefore gave Uruguay an easy goal.
Uruguayan has an excellent defense. After their goal against Uruguay, the Uruguayans decided to play defense and tried to counter attack. And that did not server them well because the South Koreans were a much better side. The South Koreans continued to put the pressure on the Uruguayans, but the men under the direction of Oscar Tabarez were very firm in the defense. The first half ended 1-0 in favor of Uruguay.
In the second half, the South Koreans decided to go for the equalizer by keep pushing forward. However, Uruguay had no intention to go forward since their main objective was to defend. Finally in the 68th minute, the South Koreans tied the goal with a header by Lee Chung-Yong. With the score 1-1, the Uruguayans were forced to play attack. However, the South Koreans have missed a few clear scoring opportunities that could have given them the lead 2-1. Both teams were now looking for the winning goal. Again, it was Luis Suarez who curved a ball into the South Korean’s net to give Uruguay a 2-1 lead in the 80th minute. Again, Uruguay went back to defense. However, the South Koreans kept pushing forward and could have gotten the equalizer at the end of the game. The game ended 2-1 in favor of Uruguay and they earned a spot in one of the quarterfinal matches. Their next Opponent will be the winner of the game of USA vs Ghana on July 2nd in the quarter final.
The Game took place at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg South Africa. It was a game that the Americans thought they could have won, however they lost in extra time 2-1. The Americans caused similar mistakes in the previous games by giving an early goal to Ghana. In the 5th minute, Ricardo Clark lost a ball in the midfield and Kevin-Prince Boateng, The Ghanaian-German made the American pay dearly for this infantile mistake. In a World Cup, one can’t afford to lose concentration and this is what has happened to the Americans. And I wonder why Bradley had to start Ricardo Clarke who might have cost the Americans a spot in the quarter finals. In the 30th minute, the American Coach, Bob Bradley, substituted Clark for Maurice Edu. The Americans could have tied the game in the 35th minute but Findley was unable to finish Being 1-0, Ghana kept possession of the ball and looked very dangerous and Kwadwo Asamoha could have even scored a second goal in the 37th minute if it were not for Tim Howard, the American Goalie. The first half was all Ghana and the Americans seemed to be affected by the emotional game against Algeria.
In the second half, the Americans became very active and started to control the game. In the 47th minute, Benny Feilhaber who entered as a substitute for Robbie Findley almost gave the American a 2-1 lead, but the Ghanaian goalie, Richard Kingson, was magnificent in goal and would not let any ball pass him. However, the good news for the Americans was that they were playing with a sense of urgency and kept the pressure on the Ghanaian Internationals. The pressure finally paid off for the Americans when Clint Dempsey was fouled in the penalty box and the Hungarian referee, Viktor Kassai, pointed to the penalty marker without hesitation. The talented Landon Donovan executed the penalty kick to tie the game 1-1. It was now about to go for the kill, unfortunately Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore were unable to concretize the scoring chances for the United States. After 90 minutes of playing time, the game ended up 1-1 and went to 30 minutes extra time.
In overtime, the Ghanaians seemed to regain their 1st half composure and quickly punished the Americans after a lack of concentration in defense since Jay DeMerit and Carlos Bocanegra were clearly beaten by Asamoah Gyan who had no mercy for Tim Howard and put Ghana up 2-1 in the 93rd minute. Ghana was able to control the game after their goal and the Ghanaians have sent the Americans packing for the United States of America.
The Americans have given their best in this tournament. It was an emotional tournament for them. However, I think they have lost the game today because of bad coaching strategies. Ricardo Clark should have not started the game. Furthermore, I think the coach should have kept Jozy Altidore in the lineup because he was able to create a nightmare for the Ghanaians.
On the other hand, the Ghanaians Internationals played a great in the first half and extra time. They deserved to win the game because they fought for it when they had to. Now, they are not only the hope of Ghana but the hope of the African continent. The Ghanaians will face Uruguay in a quarter final match on July 2nd. Will the Ghanians continue their historic run against “el Equipo Celeste” or Will Diego Forlan drive “Los Celestes” to the Promised Land? We shall find out on July 2nd.
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