JOHANNESBURG — One was the hope of its continent. The other was an afterthought on its.
One was in the World Cup quarterfinals just four years after first qualifying. The other hadn't been that far in 40 years.
So when Ghana met Uruguay on Friday, it wasn't about settling scores or renewing rivalries. It was about two teams trying to keep their fairy-tale runs from ending.
And wouldn't you know it? With neither team wanting to go home, they played 30 minutes of extra time tied at 1-1 before Uruguay extended its improbable stay on penalty kicks, sending it on to a semifinal Tuesday against the Netherlands.
Goalkeeper Fernando Muslera came up big in the shootout, diving to his left to stop shots by John Mensah and Dominic Adiyiah.
That left it to Sebastian Abreu to tap in the final penalty kick and give Uruguay the victory with a 4-2 edge in the shootout.
Ghana seemed certain to win just seconds before the end of extra time. The Africans peppered the Uruguay net with three shots in rapid succession. Muslera stopped the first, the second bounced off a defender and the third hit the hand of Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez, who was standing on the goal line.
That set up a penalty kick for Asamoah Gyan, who had scored twice on penalty kicks earlier in the tournament. This time, his shot hit the crossbar as time expired.