•Ghana supporters in Soweto, suburban Johannesburg. PhotO: AFP.
Ghanaians turned out in their thousands to cheer their soccer teamâ€s arrival home late yesterday spraying their jet with water cannons and rolling out the red carpet for the World Cupâ€s surprise quarter-finalists.
The ‘Black Stars†matched pioneers Cameroon (1990) and Senegal (2002) in reaching the last eight, but spurned a golden chance to become Africaâ€s first semi-finalists when they squandered a last-minute spot-kick against Uruguay.
Striker Asamoah Gyanâ€s missed penalty after a handball on the line denied Ghana a goal with both teams tied at 1-1, sending the match into a penalty shoot-out which Uruguay won 4-2.
There was little bitterness among the revellers at the airport, however, many of whom had draped themselves in the countryâ€s national colours of green, gold and red.
“The Stars fought gallantly, not only making Ghana proud, but the entire African continent,†said Felicia Acheampong, a 53-year-old teacher who was part of the celebration.
Huge crowds had flooded the airport hours before the team landed, blasting vuvuzelas, singing and drumming in a carnival atmosphere.
Tony Bakah, a 42-year-old man blowing a red, gold and green vuvuzela, had nicknamed his newborn baby ‘Oleleâ€, Ghanaians†affectionate tag for goalkeeper Richard Kingson.
“Itâ€s a way of remembering the performance of the Stars,†he said.
Ghana, whose chutzpah at the continentâ€s first World Cup won many admirers, were Africaâ€s sole hope after Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Nigeria, Algeria and hosts South Africa were knocked out in the group stage.
