Oh my...Ghana

At the 121st minute of Ghana and Uruguay's marathon quarterfinal, Asamoah Gyan had a chance to win the game outright. Everyone in the stadium, watching on TV,  knew it would be extra time's final kick. Make it inside the 8 yard wide, 8 foot tall net and win. Miss and let down not only your country but the entire continent of Africa, of which your country is its last hope.

If we can compare Ghana to the Buffalo Bills for a minute, Gyan was Scott Norwood and 'Wide Right' was 'Just High.'

It was a final act of drama in an extra time that plodded along slowly with few scoring chances. That is until Ghana's free kick in the game's final moments. Multiple tries at the net, protagonist Ghana thwarted by the Uruguayan antagonist Luis Suarez' handball.

But as is necessary in every good drama, the antagonist set up the most compelling moment. Suarez' desperation stop gave his country hope, saving a goal. It also gave protagonist Ghana a chance to have the storybook ending. One shot for a spot in the semis.

It was not to be a happy romantic comedy that predictably ends with smiles upon the protagonists' faces and everyone crying tears of joy. Instead, Gyan missed the game-winning penalty kick.

Minutes later, he made a penalty kick in the shootout. But it was no longer a golden goal. Uruguay won the penalty kicks 4-2. No storybook ending for the home continent's final fleeting hope. For the first time, you could hear something besides the roar of vuvuzelas at this World Cup. It was a chorus of boos from the African crowd.

Tears, devastation on the Ghanaian faces. The patented empty feeling that sits in your stomach, sitting and staring at their loss. Some say it's 'just a game.' But in the World Cup, it's not just a game. It's four years worth of work, four more years to wait, the pride of a nation, of a continent. For Ghana and it's African faithful, it will be four years to dwell on what could have been.

Scott Norwood was a good kicker. At the time of the Super Bowl miss, he was Buffalo's all-time leading scorer. He even followed up 'Wide Right' with big kicks in the next postseason. Asamoah Gyan is a good player. He scored the winning goal against the U.S.

But sometimes it's hard to remember the good when the misstep is so deflating. Norwood is always remembered for that infamous 'Wide Right' moment. Time will only tell if Gyan is remembered for more than being a crossbar's width away from African history.