Uruguay lead Ghana 2-0 at halftime after Ayew misses penalty

AL WAKRAH, Qatar : Uruguay broke their scoring duck at the World Cup on Friday to take a 2-0 halftime lead against Ghana in their Group H decider with a double from Giorgian de Arrascaeta, putting them on the verge of qualifying for the last 16.

The South Americans' breakthrough came after Ghana's Andre Ayew had missed a penalty, hitting his shot softly at goalkeeper Sergio Rochet who was penalised for bringing down Mohammed Kudus.

De Arrascaeta, on his first start at the tournament, headed home from close range in the 26th minute after Darwin Nunez's cross was missed by two defenders and found Luis Suarez, whose low shot was spilled by the keeper.

Uruguay, who famously knocked out Ghana in the 2010 World Cup quarter-final, struck again six minutes later, when Nunez flicked the ball to Suarez, who knocked it on to de Arrascaeta to volley under Lawrence Ati-Zigi at the Al Janoub Stadium.

As it stands, Portugal are set to top the group on seven points with Uruguay in second place on four and Ghana on three.