Uruguay failed to qualify for the Round of 16 despite beating Ghana
Uruguay are out of the World Cup despite beating Ghana 2-0 in a tense Group H clash at Al Janoub Stadium.
Giorgian De Arrascaeta’s two goals gave Uruguay the three points but were not enough to reach the last 16 of the World Cup thanks to a late goal by Hwang Hee-chan for South Korea in the other Group H , who represented the Asian national team . the team overtook Uruguay in goals scored.
De Arrascaeta scored twice in the first half to let Diego Alonso’s side win 2-0, and that was the end of it despite La Celeste’s efforts to find a final third that would have put them ahead of South Korea.
This all happened after Andre Ayew missed a penalty for Ghana, reigniting flashbacks of Asamoah Gyan’s missed penalty in that 2010 World Cup match.
As the match entered extra time, Ghana needed two goals and Uruguay needed one, prompting both teams to be cautious and produce one of the most frantic finishes in a game at this World Cup.
There was a lot of needle in this game, both before and during the match, as the 2010 World Cup quarter final between the teams remains fresh in the minds of Ghanaian fans after a late handball by Luis Suarez denied victory, before Gyan go out. loses the resulting penalty.
Sergio Rochet is arguably the unluckiest man to pack his bags at this World Cup, as his heroics kept Uruguay in contention until the end.
In the game’s first notable moment, he saved Andre Ayew’s penalty within the first 20 minutes after Rochet brought down Mohammed Kudus in the area and a lengthy VAR check ruled out Ayew.
It was a poor penalty by Ayew and Ghana was rarely threatened for the rest of the game until it was too late.
De Arrascaeta took control of the game and sealed the end of a comeback after Lawrence Ati-Zigi beat Luis Suarez’s shot for a header from the line.
Moments later, he produced a much more attractive shot after a fine build-up with Suarez and Darwin Nunez, when the Flamengo midfielder fired a deadly volley under the body of Ati-Zigi to make it 2-0 at half-time. Floor.
De Arrascaeta were lucky not to be awarded a penalty for a stamp charged on Alidu Seidu late in the first half, as VAR decided not to intervene.
Facundo Pellistri had Uruguay’s best chance of a third, shooting from 12 yards out for what would be his last shot with 25 minutes to go.
Uruguay felt they had two clear penalty kicks in the second half, but referee Daniel Siebert decided not to take one after Daniel Amartey rushed Nunez despite going to the monitor for a second look, and Edinson Cavani was furious at being denied . a kick in overtime.
Rochet continued his heroism superbly deflecting Kudu’s venomous attack over the bar with 10 minutes remaining, but Uruguay continued to press on in the second half, knowing that another South Korean goal in the other group stage game would put them ahead. and those fears were realized with Hwang’s goal in the 91st minute against Portugal.
This led to both sides scrambling to get through, with Ghana needing two goals, which they opened in the hope that Uruguay would go desperate knowing they only needed one. , so neither side prioritized defensive organization going into eight minutes of extra time, but neither did. could. find a purpose.
2-0 here means the most unlikely result, with South Korea advancing to the round of 16 at the expense of those two teams, meaning Uruguay are out of this round for the first time since 2002.
Lineups:
Ghana Replacements: Lamptey, Odoi, Owusu, Fatawu, Kyereh, Bukari, Danlad, Afriyie, Mensah, Aidoo, Nurudeen, Sulemana, Djiku, Sowah, Semenyo
Uruguay Replacements: Muslera, Godin, Vecino, De la Cruz, Sosa, Torreira, Vina, Gomez, Torres, Cavani, Caceres, Canobbio, Ugarte, Luis Rodriguez
Scorers:
32′ De Arrascaeta Giorgian
Yellow Cards:
Kamaldeen Sulemana
Alidu Seidu
Darwin Nunez
Luis Suarez
Sebastian Coates
Edinson Cavani
Jose Gimenez
