Cape Town - In the 2010 World Cup quarter-final clash, Uruguay striker Luis Suarez punched the ball clear on the goalline as Ghana came within a whisker of a deserving 2-1 win in the dying minutes at FNB Stadium.
Suarez was sent off for the dastardly deed and Ghana were awarded a penalty, which if they converted would have secured a historic semi-final berth. Alas, Ghana missed the spot kick, and the match went into extra time and later a penalty shoot-out.
To add insult to injury, Suarez who was earlier banished off the field following the red card, stalked back on the field without officials noticing. When Ghana missed the penalty, Suarez jumped several feet into the air with wild delight on the touchlines, and the mostly African audience at FNB Stadium roared their anger at the former Liverpool, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid star.
He became public enemy No 1 and broke the hearts of millions of African supporters. He was unapologetic and later boasted: "The ‘Hand of God’ now belongs to me" and “I made the best save of the 2010 tournament.”
Ghana lost the eventual penalty shoot-out as well as a chance to reach the World Cup semis.
Four years later, notorious Suarez again made World Cup headlines in Brazil but this time he was shown more than a red card. During a group stage match against Italy, Suarez sunk his teeth into Italy's Giorgio Chiellini. It was one of the most shocking incidents in recent soccer history.
Chiellini removed his jersey to show Suarez's bite marks, but the referee took no action. After the match, Fifa slapped Suarez with a nine-match ban and sent him home. He was suspended from soccer for four months.
It was the third time in four years that Suarez had been punished for biting an opponent.
Clearly, Suarez is the master of the dark arts, and this will be sending shivers down the spines of Ghana supporters who will be looking to exact revenge when the two teams meet in Qatar in Friday’s Group H encounter in what will be a repeat of the 2010 quarter-final.
It looks like Uruguay’s brainstrust have kept their veteran striker in cotton wool for Friday's match, knowing who he single-handedly denied Ghana in their 2010 showdown. He was not used against Portugal who ran out 2-0 winners on Monday.
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He did play in the opening match against South Korea, but was ineffective and was substituted in the eventual 1-1 draw.
Friday's Ghana-Uruguay showdown will be the last group stage match, with the last 16 round of matches starting on Saturday.
IOL Sport