Antoine Semenyo of Semenyo Man City is walking into Tuesday with Ghana’s 2010 World Cup memory still attached to the shirt. He said the run has stayed with him since he was 10 years old, and it now hangs over Ghana’s meeting with England in Massachusetts.
Bexleyheath memories
Semenyo said he watched Ghana’s games with his family in Bexleyheath, in south-east London. He remembered being at his uncle’s house when Ghana’s players appealed after Luis Suárez handled the ball, and he said the family were convinced the team was going through.
“I remember being at my uncle’s house, and we were screaming after the handball, thinking we were going through,” he said. That moment has lasted because Ghana were within one play of becoming the first African team to reach the World Cup semi-finals.
Jonathan Mensah on momentum
Ghana’s 2010 team had already set the tone before that ending. Jonathan Mensah said the momentum from the first game was really important, and Ghana beat Serbia 1-0 in South Africa to open the tournament.
He added that getting a point in the second game was crucial for qualifying for the next stage. The same squad carried the pressure of a country that had not reached that level before, and the near-miss became the standard the next generations keep chasing.
Ghana and the newer tests
The contrast is plain. Ghana’s next World Cup appearance in Brazil ended with an early exit after they finished bottom of their group, and they beat South Korea at the World Cup in Qatar four years ago, but the larger pattern has been uneven.
Last year, Ghana failed to reach the Africa Cup of Nations finals for the first time since 2004, even after qualifying for a fifth World Cup. Semenyo said Ghana came in for him when he was 19 or 20, so he was never going to turn it down, and that is the weight the current squad carries into England in Massachusetts.
“Watching Ghana play in the World Cup was so special. Mum, Dad, uncles, aunties, cousins all turn up to one house, and we would watch all the games together, celebrating and screaming. Ghana came in [for me] when I was 19 or 20, so I was never going to turn it down,” he said. For Ghana, the question now is whether this team can move closer to the 2010 level or keep living off it.
