Former Ghana international John Paintsil says he and his teammates underrated Uruguay ahead of their quarter-final clash at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
Black Stars were eliminated by the two-time champions on penalties in South Africa, having seen Asamoah Gyan miss an extra-time spot-kick after Luis Suarez was sent off for handball.
Ghana, will however, get another opportunity to put things right when they come up against Uruguay after the two countries were paired in the Group H of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
"The 2010 World Cup taught me so many things. First is togetherness, bringing the whole world together when South Africa hosted that World Cup. It taught me humility also," he told TV3.
"That happened in the quarterfinals where we thought Uruguay was the weakest link among our potential opponents. We had watched their games and we thought they wouldn’t be a big threat to us but they humbled us when they defeated us on penalties."
The former Fulham defender added, "Anytime I remember the Uruguay game, it brings a lot of memories. Now I’m experienced enough to understand that it’s part of the game. You win, you lose and football is dynamic."
"These things happen to great players and great teams. We believed that if we had beaten Uruguay, we would have eventually made it to the final or even won the trophy but we don’t stop following football because of the defeat."