Asamoah Gyan has expressed disappointment and irritation at Ghana’s performance against Uruguay in their third Group H match.
On Friday, December 2, Ghana sought a win against arch-rivals Uruguay to qualify to the round of 16 at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, in Qatar.
With a win or draw, at least, Ghana was going to join Portugal qualify.
It was not to be so, however, as Kudus Mohammed’s Ghana was pinned down 2-0 by Luis Suarez’s Uruguay.
Both goals came in the first-half of the match.
It was during the same half that captain for the Otto Addo-led Ghana Black Stars, Dede Ayew, failed to convert a penalty kick, having been easily read by goalie Sergio Rochet.
In a post-match discussion in the SuperSport studio, the former Ghanaian captain Asamoah Gyan bemoaned the lack of spirited effort on the part of Ghana.
“You had your destiny in your hands to qualify – we needed a draw or something, but there was no sense of urgency,” a disappointed Gyan said sitting with three other pundits including Mamelodi Sundowns’ manager Rhulani Mokwena.
“There was nothing that showed we wanted to win the game,” Gyan emphasised.
“The Uruguayans improved,” he observed. “Instead of us thinking of how to win the game, we were thinking about a player apologising for everybody.”
Not mincing words but mustering his emotions Ghana’s legendary top goal scorer said: “It irritates me sometimes – I’m human.”
“We’re supporting but you can’t lose a game like that,” he stressed.
Uruguay’s unfruitful pursuit for a third goal against Ghana, in view of South Korea beating Portugal, 2-1, sealed their tear-jerking fate – they were going home together with the West Africans.
The last time the two had met was on Friday, 2 July 2010, in Johannesburg, South Africa, where again Ghana misplayed a penalty – prompted by a handball by Suarez – and forfeited the glorious position of being the first Africans to make it to the semi-finals of the global game.
Football superstar Asamoah Gyan had sent a cannonball to the cross bar of the goalpost.