Ghana's post-Natal Depression

Wow!   Wow!  Wow!

What just happened? The Ghana supporters flown in on a special charter flight by Ghana were doing their jama behind the Ghana goal post. The game had barely started. We had barely started to pay attention to the field and already a ball was in the net. Specifically, an American goal was in the Ghanaian net. 

What?!

Later the news would report that Ghana conceded the 5th earliest goal in FIFA history…30 seconds into the game.

The stadium, full of Americans, roared with “USA, USA, USA” and “I believe that we will win”. Don’t ask me about these kindergarten cheers. Too bad we hadn’t the opportunity really to tell them that “…we will put pepper in your eyes”. 

The game was just simply terrible for Ghana. Lots of fancy footwork, near total domination, and multiple attempts on our part yet each of the few times the Americans got a hold of the ball, we had to hold our breath. Eeeish!!! The Americans hardly played and yet managed to win. Aba!!!

To add tension, I was seated in front of a row of old Ghanaian men who must have thought they were in VIP seats for when the Americans in front of us stood, and stand a lot they did, they yelled for them to sit down. It was ugly. The Americans yelling profanities back, the old men getting exasperated in only the way old Ghanaian men do. I was certain that someone was going to get a beat-down. When Ghana scored its lone and short-lived goal the stadium was on fire with all non-American supporters. I thought we were back. I thought there would be a quick second goal as well. 

Heeeish!!! But it was not meant to be.  So now Ghana is suffering post-Natal depression, an expression shared by the AFP journalist I had met previously. Because we played in Natal, Brazil. Get it? Get it? 

That first goal.  That first goal. How?  It was a like a child about to talk smack back to an adult and getting an open-handed slap across the face that leaves stars around the head even before the first word comes out. Hmmmmm! As my mom said in reference to the loss, ebe ye yie.

As we walked around Ponta Negra after the match we were congratulated, by everyone including Americans some of whom were shocked that they won, and others who acted like it was a foregone conclusion. After a while all of that grew old. But I had fun enjoying the party scene. We had dinner at Restaurante Galo do Alto, where the live music consisted of American classics and jazz and ended the night at a club nearby where the sisters of the night outnumbered by far any other woman there.Granted it was about three in the morning. Business must be good this month.