1,2,3 Viva Ghana !

“Gyan can you dribble you one & one, Mensah is good in the back, they can beat no one 2 3 defenders, they can beat anyone.” People are starting to gain confidence & reassured pride w/ Ghana.
Having attended the US /Algeria game in preference to the Germany/ Ghana game last minute it was heartbreaking to watch Algeria concede that extra-time goal. Not to take anything away from the US, it’s just their was never enough conviction to think the US deservedly moved to get out of the group stage. I would be considered a traitor by most people back home by rooting against the US, however this was for a greater purpose & sense of pride that African kids growing up have & 1st worlders, well they’ll be disappointed but probably just go back to playing video games.
The Algerian Chant 1,2,3 VIVA L’Algerie was resonating throughout the streets of Pretoria before the game vs. the US last week. I myself got to the stadium 2 hours before & with every African contingent, these Algerian boys are a bit more fanatical about the footballing heroes than most. The Algerian team came out 1 hour before the match dressed in suits & there was a fanatical craze & saluting. All the Algerian kids were going crazy to be acknowledged by their heroes. When you witness something like that you can’t help but root for them.
Leading up to game time I positioned myself in the Algerian faithful & was impressed at a higher level of order among the chaos. There were more kids sitting in the aisles than any other match I'd attended (The Pretoria stadium in particular is the most laid back in regards to security & allows for a more intimate view than the bigger stadiums) smoking cigarettes, such as there weren’t enough Orange Jacket Ushers to deal with them. This was also the only game where the no smoking sign flashes on the big screen every 10 mins. When a kid was caught sitting in a more well to do Algerian’s seat, he was simply suggested the nearest aisle space to stay to camp out. Although the US fan was the majority in number, close to the field, the Algerians have a history of making sure their players can hear & feel them. Preferential treatment also goes for chanting & singing over blowing that awful plastic device. Although the US had more scoring opportunities, Algeria dictated the pace of the game a bit more.
The Algerian Faithful had a a diverse range of chants I haven’t seen before. With a half hour left the entire faithful made a substituting motion w/ their hands all asking for Bou-deh-bouz! Bou-deh-bouz! Repetitiously for 5 minutes. The coach paid no attention & in the end the US goal was something typical of the American fitness running programme. As Belhadj played a great first 70 mins, he was caught dogging it & just didn’t get back, amongst others. Not that a tie was going to do anything for either team but that last min-goal really hurt. To see the faces of those Algerian kids, grown men alike just devastated, having taken so many pics before the match, I chose not to capture the latter. After the initial pain, & frustration of losing, within 5 mins time, all the Algerian faithful picked up the chant once more, 1,2,3 Viva l'Algeria!,1,2,3 Viva l'Algeria! clapping there way out of stadium & back to harsh reality.

On to the Ghana match. Watching from a Bar in Durban, Ghana showed up to play better than any of their previous matches, & really gave the public what one expects from West African football. Physical superiority, speed, flair, just a joy to watch! The US coaching staff figured out something during half time, because they really found a way to finally encounter the ball & take Kevin Prince Boa-teng out of the game. Again the guy Prince played like an animal in the 1st half, perhaps he ran himself a bit dry early. Overall one could see the psychical superiority of the Ghanaian side again start to manifest itself towards the end of the 90 mins & in overtime. Gyan whom went from lousy first touches the last 2 games & blasting the ball all over the place to finally getting it done in the clutch.
The US soccer federation must go to the drawing board & consider what they trying to represent in terms of play. If there was one guy whom I was sure ahead of time had no business being out there against a team like Ghana it was Chernudolo. It’s a double wammy because I’m sure in the States we have at least 5 rights backs who certainly would have been better selections than this guy. If I were to give a rating on a scale of 10, I’d give a generous 2! Heres what Goal.com said about him, Cherundolo: 5.5 - The full-back had his hands full with Ayew and was roasted on more than one occasion in the first half. Ghana seemed intent to attack the flanks and that was bad news for Cherundolo who picked up an early yellow card and was rendered ineffective after that.
Ayew, what a game he had, just fabulous & it’s just a shame the he’ll miss the next match against Uruguay, for a “Fantom Foul”. It’s one thing for the ref to award a foul, but too many yellow cards this tournament for the real footballing fan. Did anybody see that “Fantom red card” when Torres did the same thing against Paraguay?
30 mins before the the US Algeria game in Pretoria last week, I turned & was surprised to see Donovan standing 15 meters away from me doing stretches. I felt maybe I should have said something to him to encourage, or perhaps talk a bit of smack, “Hey man you gonna play big when it counts?” I couldn’t find the words instead I just watched him. I think we all watched him fade or aside from the penalty, he really had no impact whatsoever on the Ghana game. Then again this write-up is about celebrating Africa’s final hope. In the bar in Durban, men began shouting, “I’m an African!” “Africa”!!!! When Gyan scored that cracker in the 93rd! few celebrated as jubilantly as I did, a man hugged me, cradling my head as if it were the soccer ball that had just ended up in the back of the net.