Ghana was one crossbar away from being the first African side to reach the World Cup semi-finals in 2010.

After Uruguay's Luis Suarez was sent off for pushing the ball away with his hands on the goalline, Asamoah Gyan struck the crossbar with a penalty in the last minute of extra time.

It meant the game finished 1-1, and Uruguay went on to win a thrilling shootout, which Suarez enthusiastically celebrated.

The two sides will face again on Friday at 15:00 GMT. It is a long-awaited opportunity for Ghana to exact vengeance. It raised further questions for Suarez.

This is a critical encounter in Group H, with Ghana knowing that a win would put them through and Uruguay needing a win to qualify.

The game 12 years ago was one of the most contentious in World Cup history, and the BBC World Service has created a documentary on what occurred and how it will affect their encounter in this year's World Cup.

"When the draw was made and they saw Uruguay in Ghana's group, the only thing in people's mind was revenge. Ghana wants revenge, it is motivation,"

"People all over the world know what happened. It is behind me, but I'm human and it's in the back of my mind.

"We have South Korea, Portugal, and Uruguay - and the most important game for Ghana is against Uruguay. It is in the back of everybody's mind, going for revenge, revenge, revenge.

"Our goal is to qualify for the next stage of the competition. If we are going to think Uruguay, Uruguay, Uruguay, it will be a mistake. We have to qualify, that's the most important thing" Gyan said. 

After Belgium's goalless draw with Croatia and subsequent departure from the World Cup in Qatar, Inter striker Romelu Lukaku was widely lambasted by the Italian press.

The 29-year-old Nerazzurri attacker came in at halftime and urgently attempted to help the Red Devils, but a string of high-profile mistakes put him in the sights of spectators. Lukaku entered the tournament nursing a hamstring injury, and it's evident that he never fully recovered in Qatar, leaving him profoundly disappointed following their elimination.

Lukaku had five shots against Croatia, with an anticipated goal of 1.73, but none of them were enough to punish Zlatko Dali's team, who hung on to advance to the World Cup Round of 16.

The Italian newspaper La Gazzetta Dello Sport mentioned Lukaku's hamstring strain but also said "too many incorrect shots on goal" and added "impossible acquittal and he's the first to realize it."

Tuttosport went even farther, blaming the Inter striker for Belgium's elimination, stating that "the guilt for Belgium's elimination is virtually entirely on his shoulders." Inexplicably, he missed three simple goals."

Inter will need to assist Lukaku back to his best after a traumatic experience, according to Corriere Dello Sport, who said that "Qatar returns to Inter a center striker to be rebuilt from top to bottom."

Dusan Vlahovic, a Juventus striker, has disputed 'absurd' reports that he has been denied World Cup playing time owing to an ongoing romance with a teammate's wife.

Vlahovic has started both of Serbia's World Cup group games from the bench, and despite his recent strong run, he did not play in their recent 3-3 tie with Cameroon.

His absence from the starting lineup aroused eyebrows before rumors spread that he was having an affair with the wife of his Serbian teammate, goalie Predrag Rajkovic.

Serbian media stated that Vlahovic's lack of playing time was due to an affair with the wife of the national reserve goalie, but the attacker has denied such reports.

'I am sorry to have to start the press conference at the World Cup this way, but I have to speak about it since this is my name being thrown around,' Vlahovic said during their pre-match news conference.'

'What we all read and hear about, there's no need to comment on something so absurd. Evidently these people are bored and have nothing better to do because they are frustrated or angry, but working against the national interest of the team at the moment is obviously their main job right now.

'We are more united than ever and the atmosphere in the squad has never been better. These stories are ridiculous, I just want to protect my name and my integrity, so I will take legal action if necessary.

'It's not the first time this has happened, I would've hoped that people would support the team before such an important match, but instead, we are forced to talk about things that have nothing to do with it.

'These are people with empty CVs who achieved nothing, but they will certainly not get extra attention off my name. They have always been small people and prove it day by day.'

On a night of extraordinary drama in Doha, Mexico overcame Saudi Arabia 2-1 but was eliminated from the World Cup on goal difference.

With Argentina defeating Poland 2-0 at Stadium 974 in Group C and Mexico leading by the same scoreline at Lusail Stadium in the 94th minute, Gerardo Martino's team needed one more goal to avoid elimination under Fifa's fair play rule.

Saudi Arabia's added-time consolation goal sent the beleaguered Mexicans home on goal difference, allowing Poland's players to rejoice around the city.

After a stuttering first half with no rhythm, the game exploded two minutes after the interval as Henry Martin reacted quickest to execute Cesar Montes' flick on.

Mexico fans had just settled down when Luis Chavez curled a magnificent 30-yard free-kick into the top corner, sending their supporters into a frenzy.

Hirving Lozano's low shot was ruled offside, and Martin could have added a second but volleyed over from 12 yards out.

It was all Mexico pushing for more goals. Chavez almost hit another spectacular free-kick, but Mohammed Al Owais palmed it away, and Orbeln Pineda fired barely wide.

Mexico believed they had clinched passage when Uriel Antuna stroked in late on, but it was also disallowed for offside, and they were eliminated in agony.