Luis Suarez‘s handball in the dying seconds of Uruguay’s World Cup quarter-final against Ghana made him an instant villain around the world, but would we have done the same thing?
The 2010 World Cup saw Spain beat the Netherlands in the final, with Liverpool players Pepe Reina and Fernando Torres becoming world champions.
Meanwhile, England had a poor tournament; they were beaten 4-1 by Germany in the round of 16 as Frank Lampard had an infamous strike, that did bounce over the line, not awarded.
Despite some memorable moments in South Africa’s showcase event, arguably the biggest talking point was Suarez’s last-gasp handball on the line in Uruguay’s quarter-final against Ghana.
Luis Suarez’s semi-final handball
02.07.2010, Soccer City Stadium, Johannesburg, RSA, FIFA WM 2010, Viertelfinale, Uruguay (URU) vs Ghana (GHA) im Bild Luis Suarez of Uruguay (L) played with a hand, Jorge Fucile (4) of Uruguay and Goalkeeper of Uruguay Fernando Muslera in last minute of overtime, EXPA Pictures © 2010, PhotoCredit: EXPA/ Sportida/ Vid Ponikvar, ATTENTION! Slovenia OUT
With the score at 1-1 and the game in the final minute of extra time, Dominic Adiyiah’s header was sailing into the net, only for Suarez to palm the ball away in dramatic style.
El Pistolero was immediately sent off and Ghana were awarded a penalty. All Asamoah Gyan had to do was convert the spot-kick to make his nation the first from Africa to reach the last four of a World Cup.
What followed was pure drama.
Gyan’s effort hit the crossbar and Suarez could be seen celebrating wildly in the tunnel, having saved his country.
The game went to penalties and Uruguay progressed 4-2 in the shootout in front of a stunned crowd at Soccer City in Johannesburg.
The world fumed at the then 23-year-old for his antics, with many labelling him a disgrace and a cheat. In the eyes of many, he had robbed an entire continent of one of their greatest moments in football history.
The key question is, was that Suarez’s problem?
Was Luis Suarez wrong?
Uruguay 1-1 Ghana (AET)
July 2, 2010 | Soccer City, Johannesburg
Lineups & Substitutions
Uruguay (4-3-1-2)
1. Muslera
16. M. Pereira
2. Lugano (Off 38′)
6. Victorino
4. Fucile
20. Á. Fernandez (Off 46′)
15. D. Perez
17. Arevalo Rios
10. Forlan
7. Cavani (Off 76′)
9. Suarez
Subs:
19. Scotti (On 38′)
14. Lodeiro (On 46′)
13. Abreu (On 76′)
Ghana (4-5-1)
22. Kingson
4. Paintsil
15. Vorsah
5. Mensah
2. Sarpei
7. Inkoom (Off 74′)
6. Annan
21. Asamoah
23. Boateng
11. Muntari (Off 88′)
3. Gyan
Subs:
10. Appiah (On 74′)
18. Adiyiah (On 88′)
Result: Uruguay won 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
He was still six months away from becoming a Liverpool player at this point so it is nothing to do with club bias, but there simply wasn’t an issue with his behaviour whatsoever, in my opinion.
Suarez is, and was even back then, an easy target. We all know he is far from an angel, but the bottom line is that in the heat of the moment, his natural competitive instincts took over.
From my point of view, anybody claiming that they would have allowed to let the ball sail into the back of the net, sending their country out of football’s greatest tournament in the process, is not telling the truth.
If Gerrard had prevented a goal with his hand in the last minute of the 2005 Champions League semi-final against Chelsea, he would be lauded for his bravery and the fact he sacrificed his place in what would have been one of the biggest games of his career.
Of course it’s completely understandable to have felt aggrieved at the time – Uruguay are far from the most popular national team around – especially considering what a win for Ghana would have meant to a whole continent, but it’s not like they weren’t given a golden opportunity to win the game.
Equally, I’m sure Suarez celebrating would have rubbed some people up the wrong way, but to me it showed the incredible team player that he is.
While some would have walked back to the dressing thinking solely about their own issues, he was stood willing his team on.
The Suarez handball will be remembered by many Ghanians in a similar way to how the English think of Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ moment in 1986, but there is a big difference.
Maradona’s was a premeditated piece of cheating and one that England didn’t benefit from whatsoever. Ghana were still given a penalty at the end of the day.
Player Nation Exit
Fernando Torres Spain Winners
Pepe Reina Spain Winners
Dirk Kuyt Netherlands Runners-up
Ryan Babel Netherlands Runners-up
Javier Mascherano Argentina Quarter-final
Maxi Rodriguez Argentina Quarter-final
Martin Skrtel Slovakia Round of 16
Steven Gerrard England Round of 16
Glen Johnson England Round of 16
Jamie Carragher England Round of 16
Daniel Agger Denmark Group Stage
Sotirios Kyrgiakos Greece Group Stage