The Black Stars, who are the sole African representative left in the continent's first FIFA World Cup, will now meet Uruguay in Johannesburg on 2 July. They become the third African nation to advance to the last eight of a FIFA World Cup, after Cameroon in 1990 and Senegal in 2002. 

The west Africans stunned the US in just the fifth minute after Ricardo Clark had given possession away in midfield. Boateng ran at the defence and, having shifted the ball to the left, beat goalkeeper Tim Howard at his near post with a left-footed shot from the edge of the area. Left reeling, the US were second best until the break. 

Their best in the opening period came in the 35th minute, when Jonathan Mensah gave the ball away in his own third to Clint Dempsey. The Fulham man slid the ball to Robbie Findley, who raced clean through on Richard Kingson, but the goalkeeper reacted well to save with this left foot. Coach Bob Bradley's reaction to a lacklustre first-half performance was to bring on attacking midfielder Benny Feilhaber at half-time, and the move almost paid immediate dividends. 

Donovan's pace made the chance down the right, and Jozy Altidore did well with the LA Galaxy player's cross to feed the on-rushing Feilhaber. But Kingson came out aggressively and pulled off a fabulous reaction save. Ghana were being pegged back at this stage, and on the hour mark Dempsey skinned Gyan at the edge of the area and broke free into the box. Mensah clattered into him to concede the penalty, and Donovan calmly slotted in his kick off the inside of the post. 

As the second half wore on, the US continued to ask questions of the Ghana defence, but Kingson saved the Black Stars twice in succession. In the 68th minute, he raced 15 yards off his line to clear the ball at Altidore's feet, and eight minutes later he got down well to smother Michael Bradley's shot after the coach's son had beaten the offside trap. Altidore had another chance in the 81st minute, but the defence did just enough to put him off and he fired wide from ten yards. 

However, just as they did at the start of the match, Ghana opened the extra time with a goal. The impressive Ayew, son of Ghanaian legend Abedi Pele, spun a long ball with the outside of his left foot into the path of Gyan. The Rennes man held off two defenders and smashed the ball past Howard for his third goal of the tournament and his seventh for his country in 2010. 

The US, who scored a dramatic last-gasp winner against Algeria to qualify for the second round, seemed to tire after the goal, and though they sent ball after ball into the Ghana box in the final minutes, they could find no late heroics at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium. All of Africa seemed to explode at the final whistle, and the youngest team in the tournament will continue to fly the continent's colours for one more round. 
 

미국은 27일(이하 한국시간) 새벽 러스텐버그 로열 바포켕 스타디움에서 열린 2010 남아공월드컵 16강전에서 가나를 상대로 연장전까지 가는 접전 끝에 1-2로 패했다. 
 

전반 5분 가나의 케빈-프린스 보아텡에게 선제골을 내준 미국은 쉽게 만회골을 뽑지 못하다가 후반 15분 클린트 뎀시가 얻어낸 페널티킥을 랜든 도너번이 성공시키면서 동점을 이뤘다. 
 
그러나 연장 전반 3분 만에 아사모아 기안에게 결승골을 허용하면서 2-1로 경기를 내줬다. 

미국은 2006년 독일월드컵 조별리그서 처녀 출전한 가나에 1-2로 패했다. 당시 체코에 0-3으로 지고, 이탈리아와 1-1 무승부를 기록한 미국은 가나와 3차전에서 패하면서 16강행이 좌절된 바 있다. 

반면 가나는 당시 이탈리아에 0-2로 패했지만 체코와 미국을 잇따라 꺾으면서 16강에 진출했다. 결국 4년 만에 월드컵 16강전에서 가나를 다시 만난 미국은 이번에도 승리를 거두지 못하면서 8강행이 좌절되고 말았다. 

이날 승리한 가나는 한국을 꺾은 우루과이와 오는 7월 3일 8강전을 펼친다. (OSEN 2010-06-27) 
 

• A조 (남아공,멕시코,우루과이,프랑스)

• B조 (아르헨티나,나이지리아,대한민국,그리스)

• C조 (잉글랜드,미국,알제리,슬로베니아)

• D조 (독일,호주,세르비아,가나)

• E조 (네덜란드,덴마크,일본,카메룬)

• F조 (이탈리아,파라과이,뉴질랜드,슬로바키아)

• G조 (브라질,북한,코트디부아르,포르투칼)

• H조 (스페인,스위스,온두라스,칠레)