By David Owen at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
June 13 – Tonight at a little before 6pm in Pretoria, one-time citadel of Boer power, the 2010 World Cup came alive.
When Ghana’s lone striker Asamoah Gyan crashed his penalty into the roof of the net with just five minutes to go of a pulsating encounter with Serbia, he did more than pave the way for the first victory by an African team in an African World Cup.
He lifted the hopes of an entire continent.
So much had been written about how underpowered the six-strong African contingent in South Africa had looked in the run-up to the tournament, about how there might well not be a single African representative among the 16 nations to qualify for the second round.
But now, thanks to this classy Ghanaian outfit, Africans can start to believe.
Victory over Australia in Rustenburg on June 19 - a result that should be well within the Black Stars’ capabilities - could guarantee them a place in that second round, where they might well face England.
Gyan’s canny but powerful man-of-the-match performance was just one reason to feel optimistic for Ghana’s prospects now that they have downed a side with perhaps the most vaunted defence in the tournament on goalkeeper Richard Kingson’s birthday.
Kingson himself pulled off one superb save; captain John Mensah and his fellow defenders made Serbian giant Nikola Zigic look second-rate; the midfield looked the best balanced of any team we have seen.
And this without their star turn, Michael Essien of Chelsea.
“We miss him,” admitted reserve striker Matthew Amoah after the match.
“But we still have great players to replace him.”
And, indeed, Kevin Prince Boateng (pictured), who left the field to a rousing ovation just before the end, put in the tackles that his more illustrious countryman might have brought off, while the diminutive Anthony Annan supplied the distribution skills.
Even before Ghana’s victory, there had been some grounds for encouragement for the African teams.
South Africa themselves had risen to the occasion in the second half of their drawn game with Mexico and could definitely reach the knockout stages.
Nigerian players had also been noticeably upbeat in the wake of their defeat at Ellis Park by Diego Maradona’s Argentina.
Only Algeria had disappointed, going down 1-0 to Slovenia, surprise conquerors of Russia in the World Cup qualifying competition.
Furthermore, the teams that some regard as the continent’s strongest - Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire - have still to play.
I have to say that today I think we saw the best - in the absence of Egypt – that Africa will have to offer at this World Cup.
The Ghanaians play like a team in which every player understands the role assigned to him - no small matter in the hustle and bustle of a World Cup - and reflecting great credit on Milovan Rajevac, the squad’s seemingly unflappable Serbian coach.
They also have strength on the bench, with players of the stature of Amoah, Sulley Muntari and Cup of Nations star Samuel Inkoom playing no part in today’s proceedings.
And, let us not forget, they are holders of the Under-20 World Cup.
Make no mistake, Asamoah Gyan may have started something.
David Owen is a specialist sports journalist who worked for 20 years for the Financial Times in the United States, Canada, France and the UK. He ended his FT career as sports editor after the 2006 World Cup and is now freelancing, including covering the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He will be reporting for Insideworldfootball.biz from South Africa and tweeting at www.twitter.com/dodo938