Johannesburg — Ghana built on their good showing at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola earlier this year with a quarterfinal place at the World Cup, confirming their status as arguably Africa's top side at present.
All the pre-World Cup talk had been of whether South Africa could get out of a pool which also included Mexico, Uruguay and France, or whether Cote d'Ivoire could do enough to see their way past Portugal and Brazil in Group D.
Cameroon were given an excellent chance of progressing from their pool, which included the Netherlands but also the lesser lights of Denmark and Japan.
And then there were the Super Eagles of Nigeria, who must still be wondering how they failed to get out of their group after poor displays against Greece and South Korea.
Algeria were pretty much written off before the tournament started, but came within a win over the United States of making the Last 16.
Despite their final showing in the Nations Cup, Ghana were not taking up many column inches amongst scribes ahead of the tournament, especially as they were missing star midfielder Michael Essien, and otherwise had a team of young players who were unproven at this level.
But they ended up, by some margin, the most successful of the African sides, who would have been semifinalists at least had it not been for Asamoah Gyan's last-minute penalty miss against Uruguay in that thrilling quarterfinal.
So to what can we attribute their success?
The Draw
Nigeria had the easiest draw of the African sides, and somehow managed to blow it, but Ghana would have been quietly confident going into the tournament. Germany were always going to be difficult to beat, but the notoriously erratic Serbia and an ageing Australia were very beatable.
The Coach
Serbian coach Milovan Rajevac brings a calming influence to this side, and has shown that he can mend rifts in the squad.
He is not afraid to make a tough call, such as leaving Laryea Kingston out of the 23-man squad for the tournament, or keeping the vastly-experienced UEFA Champions League winner Sulley Muntari on the bench until the quarter-final.
Unlike Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria, and to some extent South Africa and Cameroon, the coach had time to drill his squad to play exactly how he wanted, having taken over the side after the 2008 Nations Cup. The coaches of the other four sides had been in the job for under a year.
The Tactics
Rajevac never wavered from his decision to play a lone striker up front and deploy players who could provide genuine width on the right and left. The back four was always well protected by two defensive midfielders who stuck to their roles.
This system only works with the right kind of forward and in Asamoah Gyan the Black Stars had the perfect man. Physically strong, he was a willing runner who could last 90 minutes and feed off the scraps of possession he would get.
He also linked up well with the midfield and has the "football intelligence" to play this most demanding of roles.
South Africa got their tactics right, but selected the wrong players, persisting with Teko Modise and Kagisho Dikgacoi. Only when they brought in Bernard Parker and MacBeth Sibaya to fill these roles did they find success, against France, and the tactics bear fruit.
Cote d'Ivoire were unlucky with a pre-tournament injury to Didier Drogba that limited his impact for them, and rendered their task nearly impossible before the competition had even begun.
Nigeria played a brand of football that saw them create chances in all their games, but they were let down by an ageing forward line and a general lack of composure.
Cameroon had internal problems and some diabolical selections from coach Paul Le Guen, who picked Samuel Eto'o, one of the most lethal strikers in the world, as a right winger in their opener against Japan. The 1-0 loss there put them on the back foot in the competition and drained their belief from the set-up.
Algeria came to defend and conceded only two goals in their three games, but tellingly scored none. Had coach Rabah Saadane been a little more adventurous, who knows how they may have prospered in a tight group.
Low Expectations
With Ghana arriving at the tournament under the radar, the expectations which weighed on South Africa, Nigeria, Cameroon and Cote d'Ivoire created a poisonous and at times debilitating atmosphere in these camps.
Ghana could play with freedom and the players were able to express themselves fully, within the confines of the coach's tactics. They revelled in this freedom and, especially after the early win over Serbia, confidence shone through in their play.
The Players
All of the above were factors in Ghana's success, but they would not have managed it had they not had very good players.
The Ghana squad is an excellent blend of experienced campaigners, who have been treading the boards of the European leagues for many years now, and brilliant youngsters who are just setting out in the game.
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Rajevac found the right blend in matches, and while the old heads brought with them the knowledge of how to win, the youngsters brought the energy to make it happen.
There was good variety and depth in the squad too. Rajevac was able to change the game off the bench if needs be without lowering the standard of the XI on the field.
A new addition such as Kevin-Prince Boateng gave the side an extra dimension to what we saw at the Nations Cup - where they had already played well in getting to the final - taking them another step up at this tournament.
They were able to inject pace into the game when needs be, or slow it down, and Boateng was usually central to that.
The Best in Africa?
The Black Stars were certainly the best African side on show at the World Cup, but are they the best in Africa?
Egypt will lay claim to that title, having won the last three Nations Cup titles, but their continued inability to reach the World Cup finals has to be taken into account in the final reckoning.
Something of which there is no doubt is that this side have the potential to dominate African football for many years to come, and their last two performances at major finals suggest that that time may not be far off.
