Asamoah Gyan seeks another chance to redeem himself against Uruguay

The former Black Stars captain endured the lowest point of his career when Ghana faced Uruguay in the quarterfinals of the 2010 World Cup.

Ghana was on the verge of becoming the first African team to reach the last four of the World Cup before losing on penalties to the South Americans following a 1-1 draw in regulation and extra time.

The defeat was made more painful by the fact that Ghana had a penalty in the final seconds of extra time after Suarez used his hand to keep out Dominic Adiyiah’s goal-bound header.

Although Suarez was sent off for his unsporting act and Ghana awarded a penalty, Gyan missed from the spot, with Uruguay going on to record a 4-2 victory in the shootout.

Twelve years after that incident, the Black Stars are set to face Uruguay again after they were drawn in the same group for the Qatar 2022 World Cup, alongside Portugal and South Korea.

Speaking to the BBC Sport, Gyan, whose chances of going to the World Cup are currently slim, said he hopes to get another shot to redeem himself against Uruguay.

“Ghanaians want revenge [against Uruguay]. It’s the Ghanaian motivation. I’ve been in the game for a long time. People outside know what happened,” the veteran striker said.

“The whole world knows what happened. When the draw was made and they saw Uruguay were in Ghana’s group, the only thing that came in mind was revenge. It’s a normal thing.”

Handball incident: I would’ve done the same thing if I was Suarez – Asamoah Gyan Pulse Ghana

He added: “Ghanaians want revenge. Personally, I just sat back and I just smiled because I understand how the game goes. Things happen. What happened in 2010 is behind me but maybe there might be another opportunity. When the time comes and I’m part of the team and we play against Uruguay, you might never know what is going to happen.

” We just have to be ourselves. Obviously, I’m human. I have in the back of my mind that maybe if I get another chance, I can be able to prove myself.”

Gyan last played for the Black Stars in 2019, although he remains Ghana’s all-time top scorer (51 goals) and most capped player (109 appearances).