Former Ghana striker and all time top goal scorer Asamoah Gyan didn’t hold back in his criticism of Ghana in their defeat to Uruguay.
Ghana went into this game knowing a draw at the very least could have put them through to the last 16 in the World Cup, as they faced old rivals Uruguay, who had to win to stand any chance of qualifying.
In a dramatic encounter, it was a missed penalty by Ghana that once again let them down against Uruguay as Andre Ayew had his poor penalty saved. Ghana were soon punished as two goals in six minutes from Uruguay’s Giorgian De Arrascatea made Ghana’s task extremly difficult, with Portugal and South Korea drawing 1-1 at the interval.
In a dramatic second half that saw chances for both sides, Ghana couldn’t find the goals they needed to reach the knockout stages, as South Korea joined Portugal in the last 16 thanks to Hee-Chan Hwang’s 91st minute winner.
Speaking after the game, Asamoah Gyan was very emotional as he was highly critical of his side’s performance in their defeat.
“Play you’re hearts out, give everything, like how we did against Portugal. You can’t lose a game like this. There was no sense of urgency, flat footed, nothing. I’m very very disappointed with the performance today, and I’m very upset.
You can lose a game, but you can’t lose a game like this. You had the destiny un your hands to qualify, but there was no sense of urgency, there was nothing to show we wanted to win the game.
Instead of thinking about how we a have to win a game, we are talking about a player apologising for everybody.”
Ayew Penalty Miss
Asamoah Gyan would be forgiven for having nightmares leading up to this clash, with the memories of his penalty miss in 2010 surely on his mind today.
Unfortunately for Gyan and Ghana, it was another penalty miss that cam back to haunt them today, with Ayew having his tame effort saved, with Uruguay taking control of the game from that moment on.
Asamoah Gyan said he knows what Awey is going through and felt sympathies for the Crystal Palace forward following the miss.
“I can imagine what he’s going through right now, because I have been there before. Him missing the penalty, you could see psychologically he wasn’t in the game anymore. Although he was trying, he is human, psychologically he is down.
“It’s part of the game. He felt like he let his team down, which is a normal thing. I think the players will console him. I know it’s not going to be easy, it’s going to be a tough night for him.”
