The mischievous grin that spread across his face in the first half soon turned to bewilderment and then despair. Luis Suarez Processed the fate of Uruguay. outside of world Cup On the goals scored to the delight of South Korea, Suárez was on the verge of one last inspiring performance.
Thrilled to play the “devil” once again at Ghana’s expense, the divisive forward had earlier beamed with joy after inspiring a two-goal lead. But that joy would turn sour after Hwang Hee-chan’s late winner from South Korea saw La Celeste finish second behind Portugal in Group H.
So long the savior of Uruguay, Suárez had delivered when most had dismissed him as an enigmatic presence in a camp between generations, disappointing away draws against South Korea and Portugal.
Goalless and desperate for three points, Diego Alonso pinned his hopes on Suarez one last time. After making a career of tormenting opponents with his combative style, Suárez was forced to cheat with his feet in Plan B.
Now 35 years old and back home with boyhood Club Nacional, El Pistolero’s crafty side proved decisive in the Black Stars’ edge over the Black Stars.
Strongly rejecting Ghanaian demands to apologize for his infamous deed 12 years ago, Suárez turned philosophical in the build-up, delving deep into his pool of knowledge from a legendary career.
Suarez insisted, “You can’t just think about the past and revenge because that can be counter-productive.”
And so it proved, waiting for the bounce, barely five minutes away from Andre Ayew’s curled penalty, which was a painful reminder of Asamoah Gyan’s lapse at Soccer City.
As Alidu Sedu and Daniel Amarte wobbled like bowling pins, the ball went past an unmarked Suárez at the back post. And if the former Barcelona and Liverpool marksman couldn’t quite pull off a strike, Giorgian de Arasquetá was there to clear the spare on the rebound.
Suárez made reference to “challenging times” and his desire to seize “responsibility” in the build-up, and here he was pulling off the Ghanaian shirt, again de Arrasquetá from a clever, angled pass. got in the way. This time the finish was emphatic as Uruguay edged to a last 16 berth.
Jorgen de Arrascaeta of Uruguay, left, celebrates scoring the opening goal with teammate Luis Suarez
(AP)
If Ayew’s penalty had not proved to be that much, Ghana would have appeared to have been caught under the spell of the Powder Blue. Suarez is flourishing in a familiar position, troubling Ghana’s defenders with a masterclass in the dark arts.
Mohamed Salisu was tripped up in a clumsy challenge, allowing Suárez to break free and roll to the ground. Even at the break, Suárez pestered referee Daniel Siebert to make his way back to the dressing room.
But Suarez only had so much to give, his run completed in less than 65 minutes, stumbling and falling in this most interesting of contests. Not exactly torch passing – which has probably already happened to his strike partner, Darwin Nuñez. For so long he teamed up with Batman and Robin, but now Edinson Cavani has stepped onto the field, inheriting the captain’s armband. If he assumed his role was to protect from the front, the script would soon be torn to pieces.
Uruguay, to whom Suárez had handed the baton, had 25 minutes to take a precious and precarious lead to the finish line. This was until South Korea found a winner, equal to Portugal at the exit.
Luis Suarez of Uruguay reacts to the bench
(EPA)
A final twist to the tale did indeed occur: Hwang sent over a chance in injury time to give South Korea the win, forcing La Celeste to concede another goal.
Suarez could barely see, pulling his shirt over his sad face before leaping towards the touchline to play cheerleader. Cavani took a blow, desperately appealing for a penalty, then Maximiliano Gómez fired an arrow into the bottom corner, tipped wide by Laurence Eti-Zigi. But this was not enough.
The end of an era, with Suarez unable to summon his powers on football’s biggest stage. His time in the World Cup as a helper came to a brutal end.