Doha (The Hawk): The Williams family was delighted on Wednesday in Spain. On Thursday, disappointment set in. Why? It's because the Williams brothers' FIFA World Cup 2022 campaigns in Qatar began at very different times. Younger brother Inaki Williams, 24, was a member of the Ghana team that suffered a heartbreaking loss to Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal in their Group H match, while 20-year-old Nico Williams played in Spain's stunning 7-0 triumph over Costa Rica.
By participating in the World Cup at the same time as one another but representing different nations, brothers Inaki and Nico have made some history. Although their parents are from Ghana, they were both born in Spain.
Inaki and Nico, notably, replicated the achievement of the Boateng brothers, who competed against one another in two FIFA World Cups. While Kevin-Prince Boateng, who is older than Jerome Boateng, played offensive midfield for Ghana in 2010 and 2014, Jerome Boateng played centre defence for Germany.
Ghana's Inaki Williams came close to tying the score during a chaotic second half, but his attempt to fool Portugal goalkeeper Diego Costa in stoppage time at Stadium 974 was unsuccessful. When the final whistle blew, Inaki, 28, placed his hands on his head, which was a terrible sight.
When Diego Costa was about to make the game's final kick, he had no idea Inaki Williams was waiting behind. Inaki sprinted from his back and seized the ball as Costa placed it in front of him to take the kick. Inaki stumbled as he was about to shoot toward goal, and Portugal's goalie was able to block the shot as a result of the loss of balance, keeping Portugal's lead at 3-2.
In a thrilling game, Inaki excelled as Portugal overcame a scare against Ghana after goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Felix, and Rafael Leao put the former European champions up. However, Andre Ayew and Osman Bukari pulled Ghana back into the game. There were no goals scored in the first half, but up to 5 goals were scored in the second, creating an exciting finish.
However, Spain had no such issues on Wednesday as a brace from Ferran Torres delivered them their largest victory in FIFA World Cup history.
The Williams Story
The parents of Nico and Inaki travelled far from Ghana to Europe in search of a better life.
According to Iaki Williams, in order to get to Spain, they had to travel on the back of a crowded truck and traverse the Sahara desert barefoot. When the couple was arrested while attempting to enter Spain, she was already expecting him. After following the counsel of a charity worker who suggested they claim they had fled a civil war in Liberia, they eventually secured political asylum.
Both boys were born in the Basque Country when the couple relocated there. Iaki Williams, currently 28 years old, joined the Athletic first-division club's youth academy quickly after. Later, Nico, now 20 years old, followed suit.
The unexpected late addition by Spain coach Luis Enrique was Nico Williams, who was partly reared by Iaki because their parents sometimes had to be away at work. His first call-up occurred in September. He made his Nations League debut against Switzerland, and in his second appearance off the bench, the rookie helped Spain advance to the quarterfinals by setting up a goal by colleague lvaro Morata.
(Inputs from Agencies)
