Penalty miss against Uruguay is now part of my life – Asamoah Gyan

NorthEast United FC forward, Asamoah Gyan has revealed that his crucial 2010 FIFA World Cup penalty miss is something he will never forget.

Gyan, 33, struck his injury-time kick against the crossbar, breaking the hearts of millions of Ghanaians and Africans.

Had the former Sunderland forward scored, he would have propelled the Black Stars into the semi-final of the World Cup – the first by any African nation.

“In the 2010 World Cup, we were knocked out in the quarter-final in controversial circumstances,” Gyan told Outlookindia.

“It was against Uruguay, and I missed a crucial match-winning penalty towards the end of extra-time, after a Luis Suarez handball.

“The penalty miss is something that I will never forget. It’s part of my life now. I am not the only player, who missed a crucial penalty.

“We could have become the first African team to reach the World Cup semi-final. Sometimes when I am alone, I think about it and it still hurts.

“I feel, ‘Oh! Maybe we can play the penalty again so that I can redeem myself.’ Life goes on, I need to forget about it and live my life.”

Ghana have since 2010 not gone close to the quarter-final of the World Cup.

In 2014, the Black Stars suffered a group stage exit while in 2018, they failed to qualify for the tournament altogether.

Gyan, though, has gone on to become Ghana’s most-capped and all-time top scorer.