Uruguay and Ghana get ready for an epic rematch 12 years after the controversy at the 2010 World Cup

(CNN) — The quarterfinal match between Uruguay and Ghana at South Africa 2010 is widely viewed as one of the most iconic World Cup matches in history.

On a tense night in Johannesburg, this was a game that had it all: drama, controversy, heartbreak, a villain and a hero, by the way, both played by the same person.

Luis Suárez’s role as Uruguay’s savior that night made him persona non grata in Ghana, where he even earned the nickname ‘El Diablo’.

With the score level at 1-1 and the game approaching the final seconds of extra time, Suárez covered up a goal on his own goal line with his hands. It was a goal that would have put Ghana through to the World Cup semi-final, making them the first African team in history to place in the final four.

Instead, Suárez was sent off, but Ghana’s star and captain Asamoah Gyan missed the penalty. The images of Suárez wildly celebrating the tunnel failure became one of the enduring moments of that World Cup and only further infuriated the already incandescent Ghanaian supporters.

Ghana lost in the ensuing penalty shootout, missing out on their chance to make history.

Now, ahead of the first meeting between these teams since that memorable night more than 12 years ago, Suárez insists he has nothing to apologize for.

“I don’t apologize for that… but the player missed the penalty,” Suárez told reporters in preparation for the rematch, according to Reuters. “Maybe I could say that I apologize if I injure the player and get a red card.

“But in this situation, I get a red card and the referee called a penalty. This is not my fault because I didn’t fail. It is not my responsibility to take the penalty”.

Time heals all wounds, as the saying goes, but clearly this has not been the case with Ghana’s feelings towards Suárez. Following the Black Stars’ dramatic 3-2 win over South Korea at Qatar 2022, jubilant fans outside Education City Stadium were already calling out “The Gunslinger.”

The stakes are high this time, too, though not as much as in 2010.

Ghana will take on Uruguay on Friday in a match that will play an important role in deciding which team advances to the next round. Ghana knows that a win will guarantee their place in the round of 16, and a draw will also suffice if Portugal beat South Korea.

For Uruguay, however, just one win will be enough, and even then La Celeste will have to hope that South Korea fails to beat Portugal.

“It’s all about perspective,” Ghana coach Otto Addo said of Suarez’s hand, according to Reuters. “If the same incident happened in reverse and Ghana went to the semi-finals, everyone would say: ‘Okay, it’s normal for a player to do as much as he can.'”

“This is what I want from every player, to do everything they can to help their team qualify to serve and sometimes sacrifice themselves with a red card.”

What time does the Ghana – Uruguay game start?

Local time in Qatar: 6 p.m.
United States: 10 am (Miami time)
Mexico: 9 a.m.
Colombia 10 a.m.
Argentina and Uruguay: 12 pm
Spain: 4 p.m.

How to watch the game on television and internet

USA: Telemundo and Fox Sports for television, and Hulu + Live TV, fubo TV, Tubi, YouTube TV, Sling TV and DirecTV Stream to watch the Fox Sports or Telemundo signal online
Mexico: Televisa, TV Azteca, Sky Sports and VIX
Colombia: Caracol, Canal RCN and DirecTV Sports
Argentina: Public TV and TyC Sports
Uruguay: channels 4, 10 and 12, cable operators, DirecTV and AntelTV
Spain: World Goal (available online and in Movistar)