A penalty kick converted by Asamoah Gyan with six minutes remaining gave Ghana an opening match win over 10-man Serbia in World Cup Group D at Pretoria’s Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Sunday. The victory by the Black Stars was the first by an African team in the 2010 World Cup which is being hosted for the first time ever on the African continent.
Argentine referee Hector Baldassi awarded the spot kick after a hand ball in the box by Serbian substitute Zdravko Kuzmanovic. The 24-year-old Gyan buried the penalty and nearly added a second in stoppage time when he struck the woodwork on a curling shot.
An evenly contested match from the opening whistle experienced its turning point in the 74th minute when Serbian central defender Aleksandar Lukovic was sent off for a second yellow card. However, it was 10-man Serbia which had the best scoring opportunities after the ejection.
In the 79th minute Ghana goalkeeper Richard Kingson, who was celebrating his 32nd birthday, made the save of the match on Serbian star Milos Krasic whose blast from the center of the area was stopped by Kingson's reflexes. On the ensuring corner kick, Serbia central defender Nemanja Vidic headed the ball just over the top.
The sending off by Lukovic led to the introduction of former US youth international center back Neven Subotic, who immediately came off the bench to partner with Vidic for Serbia.
The match had a promising start with both sides firing toward goal in the opening two minutes. However, Serbia and Ghana, both known for their organization and strong team defense, proceeded to cancel each other out in a first half which saw the best opportunities come off free kicks.
The match opened up at the start of the second half but a lack of finishing continued to plague both teams. Left winger Andre Ayew, who was one of Ghana’s best performers of the day, nearly put Ghana ahead with a well-timed diving header which he could not get on target in the 54th minute.
Serbian forward Nikola Zigic had a golden opportunity five minutes later. A Marko Pantelic cross from the left picked out Zigic just outside the Ghanaian six-yard box, but his first-time effort surprisingly deflected the ball away from goal from a favorable position.
Gyan, who was Ghana’s most dangerous player on the night, fired a warning to the Europeans in the 60th minute, snapping a header off a throw-in and striking the outside of the right post.
Ghana’s manager, Serbian Milovan Rajevac, refused to celebrate with his team after the final whistle, as he dealt his home country a severe blow to their chances in Serbia's first World Cup as a unified country. The Ghanaian players did laps around the stadium after the final whistle, saluting the large Ghanaian contingent on hand for the Group D opener.
Scoring Summary:
GHA – Gyan 84’ (PK)
Lineups (left to right):
Serbia (4-4-2): #1 Vladimir Stojkovic – #3 Aleksandar Kolarov, #13 Aleksandar Lukovic, #5 Nemanja Vidic, #6 Branislav Ivanovic – #14 Milan Jovanovic (76’ #20 Neven Subotic), #11 Nenad Milijas (62’ #22 Zdravko Kuzmanovic), #10 Dejan Stankovic (C), #17 Milos Krasic – #15 Nikola Zigic (69’ #8 Danko Lazovic), #9 Marko Pantelic
Ghana (4-4-1-1): #22 Richard Kingson – #2 Hans Sarpei, #5 John Mensah (C), #15 Isaac Vorsah, #4 John Pantsil – #13 Andre Ayew, #23 Kevin Prince Boateng (91+' #19 Lee Addy), #6 Anthony Annan, #12 Prince Tagoe – #21 Kwadwo Asamoah (73’ #10 Stephen Appiah) – #3 Asamoah Gyan (93+’ #20 Quincy Owusu-Abeyie)
Misconduct Summary:
SER – Zigic 19’
GHA – Vorsah 26’
SER – Lukovic 54’
SER – Lukovic 74’
SER – Kuzmanovic 83’
GHA – Tagoe 89’
