Luis Suarez’s World Cup ends in tears in entrance of Ghana

The match led to tears. For each Uruguay and Ghana. In the stands, on the sector, tears gushed forth like a torrent onto the sands of Al Janoub. As the sport ended, with Uruguay profitable 2-0, however knocked out of the knockouts by South Korea beating Portugal, Luis Suarez sobbed inconsolably within the dugout. When the cameras zoomed inexorably onto his face, he pulled his tear-drenched shirt over it. He glanced sideways, a few of his teammates had been barging into the referee and his crew of assistants, for a nook that would have been, a penalty that would have been too. But these had been simply passing distractions from the person who was at all times going to be the protagonist of the match, Suarez.

Just half-hour earlier than the sport ended, Suarez was an album of pleasure, chatting together with his teammates within the dugout, taking part in round with the assist employees, content material after 64 minutes of taking part in his finest soccer of this World Cup. The Ghana sport was maybe the change that flicked the very best out of Suarez. Slow and sloppy, invisible and inert till this sport, he rediscovered his classic, maybe the 2010 classic. He was a remodeled man, sliding into tackles, chasing the ball wildly, shoving and shovelling previous defenders. There was a stunning nutmeg close to the byline. The marker Inaki Williams was simply a few yards away, however he embarrassed him with the cheekiest of nutmegs.

Despite the win, Uruguay exit the World Cup with Ghana. @adidasfootball | #FIFAWorldCup

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 2, 2022

But earlier than you come to Suarez, you need to pause for Andrew Ayew. When he lined up for the penalty, he had the entire weight of Ghana’s footballing historical past on his left foot. He hopped, stopped and swished on the ball. The ball tipped off the sting of his boot and rolled meekly into the protected palms of Uruguayan goalkeeper Sergio Rocher. Ayew stood thunderstruck.

He hung his head in disgrace and plunged into the bottom in sluggish movement. Ghana’s first shot at liberation led to tears. And of all of the folks Ayew, one of many few remaining members of the 2010 ‘Hand of the Devil” fixture, watching all the drama unfold from the dugout as an unused substitute. He, like Asamoah Gyan, his idol who missed the spot kick from Suarez’s handball, would have a lifetime to remorse the slip-up.

Andre Ayew reacts after his penalty is saved by Uruguay’s Sergio Rochet. (REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo)

Ghana froze — within the silence among the many Ghanian followers, you could possibly hear the wilt of a thousand hearts. The vocal supporters, in a riot of color, singing and dancing till that second, stood numbed. The gamers wilted, the wandered aimlessly. Until this second, Suraez was tenting of their heads. But from this second, he was to torment them on the sector too. Of all of the merciless scripts, this was the one Ghanians feared the worst. To be spooked by Suarez. To be spooked endlessly by Suarez. For generations, or maybe for an eternity.

Post the spilled penalty, they unravelled. Seizing the second of Ghanian daze, the bleach-haired Giorgian de Arrascaeta scored twice within the area of six minutes. Both objectives originated from outrageously clumsy defending (was it even defending?). The ball from deep, pierced via two defenders, every presuming that the opposite would clear the ball. Suarez revved up via the left, bent in sharply and unpacked a stinging shot on purpose.

The saving grace was that Suarez didn’t rating, as a substitute goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi blocked it. But Arrascaeta pounced onto the rebound and nudged the ball into the web with the flap of his head. Six minutes later, Suarez-Arrascaeta mixed once more. Suarez floated the ball to Arrascaeta, an excellent lob. The latter swung the volley house. It was a purpose of pure technical perfection, from Suarez’s lob, candy and luxurious, designed in an artist’s palette. The execution befitted the help. As the ball dropped, so did the physique of Arrascaeta, and simply earlier than it kissed the bottom, he twisted his physique and struck it on the complete. The ball first swung away earlier than it modified its path and whistled previous Ati-Zigi, unable to evaluate the trail of the ball.

To irritate their ache and agony, Suarez would have fun wildly beside the touchline. After the second purpose, he veered in direction of the Ghanian part of followers and clapped, flicked thumbs up and gesticulated to boo him louder.

At the stroke of the sixty fourth minute, Suarez was taken off, to resounding applause from the Uruguayan enclosure and muffled silence from the Ghanian facet. But even in his absence Suarez nonetheless loomed on the pitch, as if the Ghanian gamers had been seeing him in all places. They appeared to be operating round a maze with out an exit.
The temper initially was contrasting. A screech of boos greeted Luis Suarez onto the bottom. Ever the pantomime villain he’s, he bared his enamel and smiled. When the boos reached a crescendo, he blew kisses their manner, fuelling extra angst and whipping up extra reminiscences of the heartbreaking night time in Johannesburg. Ghanians by no means forgave him for what Suarez then claimed was the “new hand of God moment” or as Ghanian journalist put it the opposite day, the “Hand of Devil”.

Even if that they had forgiven him, Suarez made positive that he whipped up the previous, bitter reminiscences. He began the match, wore the captain’s armband and took the primary contact of the ball. He is likely to be within the autumnal fade of his profession, however the impishness, the pantomime-ness has remained intact.

In the top, the prayers of the Ghanians had been answered. They noticed Suarez cry, however not in the best way that they had prayed or wished for. They had been crying too. Had Ghana gained or drawn the sport, they’d have certified to the final 16. But maybe, within the similitude of their destiny, Ghana may have discovered peace with Suarez and Uruguay. Or granted him forgiveness eventually.