Ghana picked up where they left off in the African Cup of Nations to reach the World Cup quarter finals at the expense of the United States and give Africa something to cheer about. A highly-disciplined young Ghana side overcame the US with a 2-1 victory after extra time to emulate the feat of Cameroon and Senegal, who booked a last-eight berth in the 1990 and 2002 World Cups respectively. They provided a much-needed boost for a continent whose other five representatives exited the tournament at the first hurdle. Cameroon, Algeria, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and hosts South Africa have all failed to make it beyond the group stage. "The whole world is watching these games. This is the World Cup we are talking about," Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac, whose side are only making their second appearance in the football's most prestigious tournament, said. "Everybody loves good football and I think because of that Ghana has the support of the whole world and not only the African continent." Ghana displayed good football, indeed. The first half saw them outplay the US in every aspect of the game but their midfield supremacy mattered most. A compact midfield featuring five men made life difficult for the Americans, who gave the ball away numerous times. The absence of Michael Essien was hardly felt as holding midfielders Kevin-Prince Boateng, who scored the opener after five minutes with a powerful left-footed drive, and his partner Anthony Annan repeatedly stole possession from their opponents.
Gyan: Ghana's inspirational player Attacking midfielders Andre Ayew and Kwadwo Asamoah also contributed to the fruitful defensive strategy which helped Ghana reach the Nations Cup final in Angola last January before losing to Egypt. Lone but powerful The US notably improved in the second half and managed to take advantage of some defensive lapses to grab the equalizer. Ghana's central defensive pair John Mensah and his unrelated namesake Jonathan Mensah appeared shaky at times, giving Landon Donavan the chance to restore parity with a 62nd-minute penalty. But Asamoah Gyan, who often plays as a lone striker, came to Ghana's rescue once again to give them an invaluable win. His physical attributes and goalscoring prowess proved a constant menace to the US as he kept their defenders on their toes. With the match tied at 1-1 in the first half of extra time, Gyan scored his third goal of the World Cup in a superb fashion. He ran onto a long ball, held off two defenders, chested the ball and fired a venomous left-footed shot which left US keeper Tim Howard with no chance. Ghana will have a chance to make history when they face Uruguay in the quarter finals in Johannesburg on Friday. They will be looking to become the first African team to earn a place among the last four. "Now, we are going to get ready for the match against Uruguay. There is lots at stake," Serbian coach Rajevac said.
