I was hearing voices not to shoot â?? Asamoah Gyan opens up on 2010 World Cup penalty miss

Former Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan has reflected on the penalty miss that dashed his nation’s hopes at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Ghana had impressed in their second World Cup appearance, but their dream of reaching the semifinals ended in heartbreak after a 4-2 defeat to Uruguay in the quarterfinals.

Sulley Muntari had given Ghana an early lead with a spectacular long-range strike, only for Diego Forlán to equalise for the South Americans.

The match seemed destined for extra time when Dominic Adiyah’s header was illegally blocked on the line by Luis Suárez, earning Ghana a penalty.

Gyan, the country’s all-time top scorer, stepped up but saw his shot smash against the crossbar, leaving Ghana to eventually lose in the ensuing shootout.

Speaking to former England defender Rio Ferdinand, Gyan revealed the mental battle behind the miss.

"A day before the game, after training, we practised penalty shootouts, and I scored 20 penalties out of 20, and it occurred to me that what if we get a penalty tomorrow? Then I said, I am going to kick it.

"So when we were awarded the penalty, at the back of my mind, I was hearing voices saying don't shoot, but I was the penalty taker in the team, and so I had to step up, and I said this is me, but I shot it, and I missed it, and at that moment, I was crazy," he added.

Gyan admitted the miss weighed heavily on him.

"At the moment, I let Africa down, and it is also the worst moment in my career, and I would have ended my career at that time."

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