What a difference 90 minutes makes. Like most football fans of my generation, I was tired of hearing about the greats of old, and how they had lifted high the name of Ghana on Planet Football; how they had conquered Africa on four occasions and had whipped passion in the hearts of Ghanaians of all walks of life; how they had lined trophy cabinets and given Ghanaians a reason to celebrate endlessly in the streets. My comeback to those who had witnessed the feats of eras gone by was always, “The World Cup.” The heroes of ages past had never been to the highest stage to prove themselves. That changed in 2005. The Black Stars had qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany at the expense of the much-fancied Bafana Bafana. This was a dream come true. It was ecstasy all across the country. We were united in our backing of the Black Stars. Those too scared to give their hearts to the boys found themselves sucked into the euphoria like a vortex. How many times had the Black Stars not put together a mosaic of despair, made with the shattered pieces of thousands of Ghanaian hearts, after failing to deliver on raucous hype? But now, they had our hearts. It was real. We were going to rub shoulders with Brazil, and Germany, and England, and the other big boys. We were there. We were where we were meant to be. The Holy Grail was within reach. And yet, in 90 minutes, all hope seemed to crumble into bits. The Black Stars had succumbed to a 2-0 reversal against the Azzuri of Italy. But, this crashing back to earth ends fairy-tale like. The Black Stars went on to beat the then World # 2 Czech Republic 2-0 – in a lopsided game where it could have been more – to send the whole nation into raptures. Now they only needed to beat the United States to qualify for the second round. They duly obliged. It was over. Our maiden World Cup adventure was a resounding success. Losing to then defending champions Brazil in the first knock-out stage, never mind the 3-0 score line, is no disgrace. Being the only African country to make it that far was exceeding expectations. The streets were jam-packed with fans. Our boys had made us proud. Four short years down the line, the Black Stars are back where they belong. There was no parade or sudden rush into the streets 90 minutes after the game that confirmed our qualification against Sudan game started. Neither was there the tooting of horns or the beating of drums or the blaring of music from every corner. It all seemed a little different this time. Was it too easy? Breezing through the qualifiers, and getting to South Africa with maximum points – discounting the two games after qualification was sealed – and without a single goal conceded is sometimes taken for granted. But Mali is no pushover, and Sudan can be a difficult place to go (Ghanaian World Cup dreams have been crushed in Khartoum in campaigns gone by). Once again, Ghanaians are jubilant. But this time, the level of expectation is soaring. Much higher. There is a simmering excitement which is yet to boil over. You see, now it is not enough to just make an appearance at the World Cup. Hopes are sky high. Word on the streets is of the Black Stars being the first African country to reach the semi-finals. But first, the little matter of Serbia, Australia and Germany, and whoever comes next, must be dealt with. What Ghanaians wouldn’t give to play England or some other European giant in the semi-finals, doing battle with the heroes they watch each weekend in Premiership action. On a night like that legends would be forged; heroes would be born. What a difference those 90 minutes would make. By Kwaku Dankwa An advertising copywriter and writes a blog on the funny side of public transport in Accra (www.asomasi.wordpress.com)