It’s a red, yellow, green and black day here in Ghana. All over, Ghana’s colours are being displayed, jerseys, paraphernalia, and the flag have taken over.
Morale is high and Ghanaians are ready! Ready to go all out to support the Black Stars who are playing an iconic match today with 12-year-old rivals – Uruguay.
It would be yet another World Cup fixture between the Black Stars of Ghana and the La Celeste of Uruguay when the two meet in Doha, Qatar, in the ongoing World Cup.
As the captain of the Ghana Black Stars side that came face-to-face with Uruguay in 2010 during the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Stephen Appiah recently opened up about his experience; that unforgettable one that saw Ghana miss a unique opportunity to be the first African country to make it to the semi-finals of the tournament.
Speaking to sports journalist, Michael Oti Adjei, Stephen Appiah said the pain still cuts deep, even after so many years.
"The atmosphere after the game was very bad, no one was talking because we had the chance to make history and play in the semi-finals and for some of us, it is going to haunt us for the rest of our lives," he said.
A day like what happened in South Africa in 2010 is about to be repeated, but with the hopes and prayers of many Ghanaians, and for that matter, Africans, that the Ghana side comes out with a positive result: a resounding victory over the country that is currently its most bitter rival.
The Qatar World Cup Group H fixture for Friday, December 2, 2022, is that opportunity that many Ghanaians have been waiting for.
The second day and Friday jinx:
Before this article taxis to its conclusion on why December 2, 2022, remains a big day for Ghana, let us do a little flashback to when and what exactly happened that has brought about this whole adrenalin for revenge game, or whatever other name it is called. What exactly is all this about?
For those who do not remember, it was a chilly night in South Africa on Friday, July 2, 2010, when the big hopes and great aspirations of all lovers of the Ghana Black Stars were painfully dashed after Luis Suarez, a Uruguayan player, stopped a goal-bound header from Ghana’s Dominic Adiyiah, with his hands.
The pain was sharper and deeper because this incident happened in the closing stages of the quarter-finals encounter between the two teams, in a game that the Black Stars delivered a fairly good performance.
The Black Stars got a penalty for that act, and Suarez was rightfully sent off as punishment, but what was supposed to turn into Ghana’s glory took the fastest nosedive in the country’s football history; Asamoah Gyan missed it.
When Gyan stepped up to take what was literally the last kick of the game, his effort hit the crossbar and with it went Ghana and Africa's chance to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup for the first time.
Many have not forgotten that experience till date and several others are yet to fully forgive the striker for such a big miss.
But at the Al-Janoub Stadium in Doha later on Friday, December 2, 2022, Ghana will have a rather spooky repetition of another game with the South American side.
And again, it will be another ‘Friday’ fixture happening on the ‘2nd’day of a month.
Would that count for anything at all?
Revenge or not to revenge?
Also, ahead of the highly-anticipated game, there have been many calls and justifications over what a number of Ghanaian football lovers are calling a moment of revenge or payback for what Uruguay took Ghana through.
It is a pain deeply etched in the minds and hearts of those old enough to have witnessed the 2010 game not just in Ghana, but the whole of Africa, and the entire world for that matter.
But Ghana’s head coach, Otto Addo, has stated that his team will not approach the match against Uruguay as revenge for what happened 12 years ago at the 2010 World Cup.
Ahead of the match, Otto Addo has explained that the Black Stars will approach the match differently, with the intention not to get revenge.
“I’m a guy who doesn’t think too much about the past when this incident happened. I’m a strong believer if you don’t seek revenge, you get even more blessings.
“It’s a different approach, a different team. [Uruguay] have very good strikers, lots of experience. They are very compact, very good. It will be very, very difficult, again,” he stated.
Big day for Ghana:
Without a doubt, and blessed with the fact that this second World Cup encounter between Ghana and Uruguay is happening on a national holiday in Ghana (National Farmers’ Day), Ghanaians are expected to throw in all their support for the Black Stars.
The ‘Friday the second’ spell between Ghana and Uruguay looks like perhaps the biggest football showdown to be experienced by supporters of the Black Stars in a very long time and the edges of seats will surely be filled as the game gets underway later.
Whose day will it be?
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The Black Stars of Ghana will meet Uruguay again at the World Cup