AL WAKRAH, Qatar — With each stuttering step, the goal staring back at Andre Ayew seemed to get a little smaller. Ayew, Ghana’s most experienced player, had taken it upon himself to take a crucial penalty against Uruguay, to exorcise the demons of 12 years ago, the last time Ghana had a crucial penalty to advance in the World Cup against Uruguay.
But history repeated itself. Ayew missed.
Ayew’s tame penalty was easily saved by goalkeeper Sergio Rochet, and Uruguay soon scored twice, and though it was still early, Ayew’s miss effectively sealed the end of Ghana’s journey.