Prior to this entertaining match, I have to admit that I was too carried away by Ghana's 1-0 victory against Serbia in their first match as well as Australia's 4-0 collapse against Germany in which I should not have been like that at all. This culminated when a family member (who is not well versed in football at all) asked me, “What's so good about Ghana? Ghana is bad!”. Well, I strongly felt that Ghana is a strong team, due to the aforementioned illusion from the first games, as well as a fond memory of Ghana gloriously defeating Czech Republic back in 2006 World Cup in which I still remember what Stephen Appiah had said in his interview after that victory. So there was a conflict between the “I and me” in my mind as I wanted to answer him that Ghana is very strong while my subconscious football instinct whispered me otherwise. Thus, I settled by answering him that “At the very least, Ghana is much stronger than a certain country” (sorry but I don't wish to name that country, but that answer will create a definite impression to anyone let alone that family member of mine that Ghana is a strong team). I should have known better that Ghana is after all not that great, especially so in attack.
In this match, the Jabulani debate once again rears its ugly head once again. After a few days of relative quiet about this, Jabulani simply refuses to let go of the microscopic attention as well as the massive spotlights on it. It seems that it is trying its best to obtain the World Cup 2010 golden ball and even more ambitiously, it seems intent on winning this year's TIME Person of the Year. Australia started the match with technically no striker at all since the one leading their attack was Harry Kewell whose natural position is not a striker, let alone a targetman. Joachim Low, the Germany manager was also seen in the stands seemingly to scout on Ghana, their next opponents. Australia started attacking aggressively, seemingly desperate to banish all those criticisms and condemnations directed to them no thanks to their heavy 4-0 defeat against Germany. The aforementioned Jabulani debate erupted again when the Aussies scored after only ten minutes of play. The Ghanaian keeper Richard Kingson becomes the next goalkeeper to spill a long range shot, this time from Mark Bresciano's direct free kick and Brett Holman was only too happy to pounce onto the rebound and score to give Australia the 1-0 lead. As mentioned previously, Jabulani seems not ready to give up the spotlight, isn't it? A ball who has plenty of balls. Good pun, no?
Sense of urgency for Ghana, but they did not seem to be incisive in their attacks against the Aussies. (A chronic illness in this Ghanaian squad which I realized only much much later in the game). However, first major drama in the game as well as a major controversy in this match. At the 23rd minute, Ghana launched a long shot from outside of the penalty area which was destined to be into the net, but Harry Kewell was at the right hand post and he simply used his chest to keep the ball out. However, the ball simply bounced along his body and hit his right arm in the process before going out. The Italian referee Roberto Rosetti simply treated it as a deliberate handball to prevent a clear goalscoring opportunity and he promptly dished out a red card for Kewell and thus Australia have 2 sending offs in a row, and Ghana was awarded a penalty kick due to handball, just like the previous match against Serbia. Also, just like that match, Asamoah Gyan sent Mark Schwarzer the wrong way to score with his ice cool nerves from the spot. 2 out of 2 for Gyan from the spot. 1-1. So far, Nigeria and Germany have collapsed due to a sending off, and had that happened to Australia and had they lost heavily to Australia, it would have served the Aussies nothing more than intensifying their Italophobia as World Cup 2006 is still fresh in their minds.
The second half of the match simply saw the increasing intensity of the attacks of both teams, especially Australia. Surprise surprise. Despite having one less man than the Ghanaians, the Australians didn't show any signs of hindrance to their game let alone the potential collapse. In fact, the Australians were trying to gun down a victory, basically trying to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat as they brought on two strikers from their bench on the 65th and 67th minute and they are Scott Chipperfield and Josh “Jesus” Kennedy. The nickname comes from his beards and long hairdo that he sports by the way, but he didn't manage to live up to that nickname by becoming the Aussie's messiah tonight. Despite the see-sawing of attacking moves between the two teams, Australia was the team that looked like scoring at anytime and clinch a victory compared to Ghana who statistically dominated the game (with about 20 shots throughout the game) but they are so impotent in front of goal that those shots count for nothing. Their impotence in front of goal is simply what I was trying to point out about the “chronic sickness” that this Ghanaian team is unfortunate enough to have. At the 84th minute, the Australians brought on even more attacker by bringing in the Ukrainian born Nikita Rukavytsya. While the Ghanaians brought on Quincy Owusu Abeyle, Sulley Ali Muntari at the 56th and 76th minute respectively and also bringing in Matthew Amoah at the 87th minute, but still, it did not cure their impotence.
Although in the end, none of the teams managed to score more goals for the match, amazingly, the Australians ended up having no less than three strikers on the pitch with ten men when they started the match without any striker as mentioned earlier. The match, however, ended rather unceremoniously ith the sight of John Pantsil being stretchered off with his white shirt heavily stained red with blood due to a collision with Josh Kennedy in an aerial duel.
In the end, Ghana failed to clinch a victory and progress to the last 16 while the Australians would be happy with their performance with 10 men in the game and the fact that they are pretty much still alive in the competition. They play Serbia next and it is of course a must win game now for them to have any hopes of progressing but they will not be with the sent off Kewell and solid veteran defender Craig Moore who collected his second yellow card of the tournament, although Tim Cahill will be back to boost their chances.
While for Ghana, they are up against Germany next. On paper, it is no contest, as Germany have too much class to lose against Ghana. However, football matches are not won on paper, but still, judging from how impotent Ghana is besides from the penalty spot (and how many times could they rely on that?) and how Germany must be fired up now to win the remaining game as to progress into the last 16 and to forever bury the embarrassment they suffered in their recent defeat against Serbia once and for all. Ghana is in a tight spot, unless they are able to cure their impotence in front of goal, I am afraid to say that they have little chance of getting anything from the last game against Germany let alone a victory against Joachim Low's boys.
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