Pretoria - A combination of good finishing and excellent defending skills ensured Ghana's 2-1 win over United States on Saturday to secure the Black Stars a place in the World Cup quarter final.
With both sides level at 1-1 after 90 minutes, the match at Royal Bafokeng Stadium was forced to go into extra time and Ghana emerged victorious to become the third African team to reach the last eight after Cameroon in 1990 and Senegal in 2002.
The Ghanaians were given an early lead after Kevin-Prince Boateng beat US's Ricardo Clark in the 5th minute to strike in an excellent lead for the Africans. But with their former President Bill Clinton watching from the VIP area, the Americans were determined to be back on the game and Landon Donovan equalized through a penalty.
Ghana, who will now face a strong Uruguay in the quarter finals, held strong and during extra time broke with a flowing counter attack, resulting in a precise finish by Asamoah Gyan to hand his team the crucial victory. Neither the US nor Ghana have ever been taken into extra time at the FIFA World Cup.
"I said it before, most of Africa turns to take us for granted, but we have proved the critics wrong today...I'm the happiest man in the word we did it," said Gyan after the game.
It was for the second time that Ghana beat the US in their only two meetings and the last clash between the two sides also ended in a 2-1 during the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The last time the US won their group match was 80 years ago when got 3-nil victories over Belgium and Paraguay.
Earlier in the day, Uruguay beat Korea Republic 2-1 in a rainy Port Elizabeth. The victory ensured Uruguay's place in the last eight. Ghana carries the hopes of the entire continent and will seek to become the first African team to reach the World Cup finals when they meet Uruguay at Soccer City on Friday.
