By David Owen in Johannesburg
June 23 – Ghana kept the African flag flying tonight, securing passage to a second-round clash with the United States, victors over Algeria, on a frigid night at Soccer City.
Their confirmation as the last African team standing at the first African World Cup came in spite of a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Germany, who face a second-round encounter with old rivals England at Bloemfontein on Sunday.
The Black Stars’ success in replicating their achievement of four years’ ago, when Brazil beat them in the first knock-out phase, promises to keep the party spirit going in South Africa for at least a few more days.
Before the match – with Algeria, the only other possible African qualifiers, ousted by a late Landon Donovan strike for the US – seemingly everyone of African heritage was pleading with neutrals to back the Ghanaians, in a display of continental solidarity that would be unthinkable in Europe.
The outcome, with both Johannesburg opponents living to fight another day, certainly met with the approval of the well-bundled 83,000 crowd who gave one of the loudest cheers of the night when the result of the other group match in Nelspruit was displayed.
Ghana – and, you can’t help but feel, the tournament orgainsers – owe a big debt of gratitude to the Australians, who picked themselves up after their disastrous start to this competition, to dash Serbia’s high hopes of progressing and hence making up for their calamitous World Cup debut in 2006.
The Socceroos seem to have it in for the former Yugoslavia: four years ago, they effectively knocked out Croatia in the deciding group match.
Perhaps fortunately for Australia’s 2022 World Cup bid, there is no FIFA Executive Committee member from either of their victims.
There was a noticeable symmetry to the Soccer City encounter: Ghana wore white, Germany black; Ghana had no Michael Essien, Germany no Michael Ballack; both teams fielded a member of the Boateng family.
What proceeded was a high-class game of cat and mouse, with Ghana, safe in the knowledge that a draw would see them through, slowing play down whenever possible and Germany, who needed to win to be sure of going through, trying to force the pace.
In the event, the European side extracted the maximum penalty for Ghana’s only defensive lapse, allowing Mesut Oezil (pictured), Germany’s classy young playmaker, time to pick his spot from the edge of the area.
This he duly did with great assurance.
The final stages produced a few comic moments with some of the Ghanaian players, clearly aware of events at Nelspruit, unsure whether to press for an equaliser or hold out for a narrow defeat.
Overall, though, this was a display of great maturity by coach Milovan Rajevac’s side that bodes well for the future.
Four years ago, in Europe and with a side making its World Cup debut, few expected Ghana to trouble Brazil and they duly exited the compettion tamely.
This time around though, with the draw proving kinder, you would have to give them a chance of going at least one stage further, although this is also a far better US team than the one the Black Stars beat 2-1 in their final 2006 group match to clinch qualification.
The big question – why African national teams appear to have run out of steam in their efforts to join the elite of the world game – will still need to be analysed and addressed once the 2010 World Cup is over.
For now, though, Africans are free to dream for a little while longer.
Contact the writer of this story at zib.l1734843329labto1734843329ofdlr1734843329owedi1734843329sni@n1734843329ewo.d1734843329ivad1734843329
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