Now I'm never one to blow my own trumpet of course (ahem), but haven't I been saying the Netherlands are this World Cup's dark horses? Haven't I? What a result for the Oranje. They've just beaten the world's greatest footballing nation - and in my book that makes them the new favourites for the trophy, no?

The Netherlands' first win over Brazil for 36 years, then, puts them within a single match of the World Cup final. That match - their fourth World Cup semi-final (after 1974, 1978 and 1998) - will pit them against Uruguay or Ghana and promises to be a cracker either way. Bert van Marwijk's side are THE form team of the tournament, will be flying sky high after their Port Elizabeth triumph, and in Wesley Sneijder or Arjen Robben have two fellas hitting peak form. I wonder if Uruguay or Ghana are worried?

What say you good people? I'm Sam Lyon and I'll chat you through the next hour or so while Jonathan Stevenson attempts (and most probably fails) to compose himself after that Port Elizabeth thriller. So take this golden opportunity to get in touch why don't you? Text me on 81111 (UK) or +44 7786200666 (worldwide), I'm on Twitter @sampatricklyon or get involved on 606.

'So where do we go from here?' the voice in my head asks. Well if you thought the Netherlands v Brazil was fascinating, wait until the African party kicks into gear in Johannesburg tonight. Ghana, aiming to become the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final, have the backing of an entire continent - and Uruguay might be advised to wear ear plugs this evening? You thought the Vuvuzelas had made a racket already didn't you? Just you wait.

Spare a thought, meanwhile, for Brazil coach Dunga - who has confirmed the defeat by the Netherlands will be his last in charge of the team. "We knew when I started that I would be here for four years. It's sad, it's difficult, nobody prepares to lose." A World Cup winner and finalist as a player, I hope Dunga is not now remembered as the man who failed Brazil as a coach.

Match-winner Wesley Sneijder, meanwhile, reacted modestly at the final whistle, saying: "The winner just slipped off my bald head!" He added, referring to the fact that this was the Netherlands' first win over Brazil since 1974: "It was an amazing game. I think we showed the whole world how we can play. Finally we won, we beat Brazil!" Oh to be in Amsterdam this evening huh?

Anyway, we know that the Netherlands have booked the first semi-final spot, what we don't know is who they will face on 6 July, next Tuesday. If it comes down to in-form strikers, you might just fancy Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez to edge Uruguay home, despite Ghana's Asamoah Gyan's burgeoning reputation. However, if it comes down to dancing skills, there is really only one winner. Don Fabio Capello take note - this is team spirit.

Let's remind ourselves of Uruguay and Ghana's World Cup form to date, then. A draw against France and then wins over South Africa, Mexico and South Korea have done for Uruguay, while Ghana may have lost to Germany at the end of the group stage, but earned their place in last eight courtesy of a draw with Australia and wins over Serbia and the United States. On form, it's Uruguay's to lose isn't it?

Form - famously - goes out of the window in World Cup quarter-finals though doesn't it? And, as effectively the 'home' side in this evening's fixture at the Soccer City Stadium, Ghana might just be able to use the African support to spur them on. And don't worry about the Black Stars crumbling under pressure - coach Milovan Rajevac says that aint gonna happen. And I believe him.

And, people of Britain, just when you thought you could all sit there merely as casual observers - I'm going to pull that particular rug right from under your feet with this little nugget. Ghana are the last English-speaking country in the competition. Combine that with the fact that Howard Webb and team are still flying the flag as officials, and maybe this World Cup isn't quite as disappointing. Erm, right?

And so the time has come for me to hand you back to Jonathan Stevenson out in Johannesburg for all the team news and match action, while I - Sam Lyon - will be back on the 'morrow to give you all the pre-match chat ahead of Germany-Argentina. This World Cup just keeps on giving doesn't it? Laters.

Turns out bad things do happen in threes: Sam Lyon’s disappeared, England are out of the World Cup and Andy Murray’s Wimbledon dream is over for another year. So, people of the live text community, why am I feeling so happy? It must be the Vuvuzelas I can hear burning a hole in the side of the International Broadcast centre in Johannesburg. The Ghanaians are coming, and by the sounds of it they’ve got the whole of Africa with them.

That’s one semi-finalist all wrapped up, then. But just who are the Netherlands going to meet in the last four in Cape Town? Will they face another South American foe in the shape of Uruguay? Or will they come up against Ghana and the entire continent of Africa for the right to play in the biggest sporting contest on planet earth? Let's find out.

Uruguay: 1-Fernando Muslera; 2-Diego Lugano, 6-Mauricio Victorino, 4-Jorge Fucile, 16-Maximiliano Pereira, 15-Diego Perez, 17-Egidio Arevalo, 7-Edinson Cavani, 20-Alvaro Fernandez, 9-Luis Suarez, 10-Diego Forlan.
Ghana: 22-Richard Kingson; 4-John Pantsil, 5-John Mensah, 15-Isaac Vorsah, 2-Hans Sarpei; 6-Anthony Annan, 23-Kevin-Prince Boateng, 7-Samuel Inkoom, 11-Sulley Muntari; 21-Kwadwo Asamoah, 3-Asamoah Gyan.
Referee: Olegario Benquerenca (Portugal).

By the way, if you could refresh your page I'd be ever so grateful - all it means is that you'll know the woeful *gags* belong to me, Jonathan Stevenson, not poor Sam, who's frankly much better than that.

UruGhana get in touch, then? My word, I think I’ve just hit rock bottom. Save me from my own ineptitude by Tweeting me @Stevo_football, texting me on 81111 (UK) and +44 7786200666 (worldwide) or scribbling down your thoughts on the 606 page.

These countries have both enjoyed fabulous tournaments and for one of them it is about to get a whole lot better. The Uruguayans have impressed with their free-flowing football and dynamic striking duo Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez, while Ghana have shouldered the burden of African expectation with real character and no little quality. It’s just too close to call, this one. But aren’t they all?

Uruguay 1-1 Ghana
Penalty shootout

"I can't say that I'm that surprised by the success Ghana have had, but I thought we would have a great team in four years, not necessarily now. I'd be a very proud man if we won tonight."

History beckons. No African team has ever reached the World Cup semi-finals, so it would be hugely fitting if Ghana could achieve this first during the continent’s maiden tournament. As for Uruguay, well let’s not forget they won the first World Cup in 1930 and then stunned Brazil in the Maracana by coming from behind to win the 1950 final. However, it is 40 years since they reached the last four, a drought this proud footballing nation will be keen to end today.

I think my esteemed colleague Paul Fletcher might be on to something there. Goal-crazy Luis Suarez is having the year of his life - the Ajax striker has scored a remarkable 55 goals in 60 games for his club and country this season. What price another one tonight?

"Ghana are very strong, very fast players with good dribbling when they run with the ball. We know it will very difficult. We won't wait for Ghana to score a goal before we start to play the way we should be. We won't become complacent, that would be suicidal."

"This result depends on us. It is important how we start and that we try and impose ourselves on Uruguay from the beginning. We are the only African team left at this level of competition so I am really proud of these boys and the whole world now has great respect for Ghana football."

Portuguese referee Olegario Benquerenca emerges from the tunnel and picks the ball up off the plinth as Diego Lugano and John Mensah lead the teams out. The captains will read out a short message on Fifa's anti-discrimination day and then we'll have the national anthems.

Do you think they'll do a CD of the 32 national anthems at the end of this World Cup? And, perhaps crucially, do you think I'd be the only person buying it? Why do I love them so? I need answers.

There's a signal of intent - the 'Rock of Gibraltar' John Mensah crunches into Luis Suarez from behind to concede an early free-kick on the halfway line. Lovely introduction.

Good attacking intent already from Uruguay as Diego Forlan bursts forward from inside his own half, but his pass to Alvaro Fernandez down the right is heavy and the chance is lost.

There's the first sign of Ghana players shooting from a silly distance - Kwadwo Asamoah shoots lamely wide from 25 yards when he should have just pumped the ball back into the Uruguay box. Wasteful.

Uruguay are having most of the ball, but they haven't created a clear-cut chance yet. Luis Suarez cuts in from the left, but his shot is straight at Richard Kingson who saves comfortably.

Ghana need to get a foothold in this game - on the rare occasions they get the ball, they keep giving it back straight away. You could forgive them for being nervous.

Uruguay plough a free-kick into the Ghana box and Richard Kingson, under no pressure at all, punches unconvincingly straight up into the Johannesburg night sky. When it lands, in the middle of a packed six-yard box, he punches again but is rescued by the referee. Shaky.

Uruguay are bossing this and Diego Forlan is looking very dangerous on the break, along with partner-in-crime Luis Suarez. Another corner from the left is flicked on and hits John Mensah, with Richard Kingson pulling off a great reflex save.

Diego Forlan is buzzing - he narrowly fails to play in Edinson Cavani, before picking up the rebound and smashing a right-foot shot just high and just wide from 22 yards. Very, very dangerous.

Ghana have Richard Kingson to thank again - Luis Surez catches his marker sleeping as Uruguay take a quick throw-in and from about 16 yards he fizzes in a right-foot drive that Kingson does really well to acrobatically tip over. All Uruguay.

Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac is frantically trying to encourage his players to push out of their own half because they are under pressure at the moment.

That'll encourage them - Ghana are inches away from going in front. Isaac Vorsah leaps above Diego Lugano and powers a header goalwards from eight yards, but it flashes just wide.

Encouragement by the bucketload for Ghana. Kevin-Prince Boateng races forward from midfield, pushes the ball one side of a defender and runs round the other side before crossing for Asamoah Gyan, who sweeps about a foot wide from the edge of the box.

My friend and yours wjousts, below, is right you know. Ghana have suddenly woken up, they are really taking the game to Uruguay at the moment. It's the South Americans who are under pressure now.

Half a chance, that. Kwadwo Asamoah flings over a top-class pass from the right into the Uruguay area and Sulley Muntari heads wide from an angle on the left.

Ooof. Jorge Fucile leaps above Samuel Inkoom, but it looks like he almost lands on his head/neck, and his Uruguayan team-mates are immediately concerned. He gets up, much to everyone's surprise, and he should be OK to carry on.

Asamoah Gyan smacks in a right-foot volley from 30 yards and he hits it true, but Fernando Muslera is in a good position to take a fairly comfortable catch.

Repeat: An African team has never reached the semi-finals of the World Cup. Ghana are the first African side to lead in a WC quarter-final since Cameroon were 2-1 up against England in their last-eight contest at Italia '90.

Well, we're back under way at Soccer City and Uruguay have 45 minutes to score otherwise they are out of the World Cup. Oscar Tabarez makes a change, bringing Nicolas Lodeiro on for Alvaro Fernandez. Anyone out there supporting Uruguay?

Edinson Cavani goes on a lung-bursting run forward down the inside right channel and he latches on to a pass from Diego Forlan - he seems to be taken out by Isaac Vorsah, but the referee gives nothing. Poor decision.

Uruguay are trying to up their tempo now but Ghana's players are covering an awful lot of ground - they are doing a great job of stopping Uruguay from passing it around as they want to.

Now this game really is anyone's to win. Can Ghana respond positively to that Diego Forlan goal, or will Uruguay step it up another notch and take command? You'd be brave to go either way.

Ghana's turn to attack as Asamoah Gyan fires in a low shot from 18 yards, but Fernando Muslera gets down well to his right to push the ball away.

Uruguay have stepped it up a touch and Ghana are not helped by Richard Kingson mis-controlling the ball and conceding a corner. Moments later Diego Forlan's wicked cross from the left beats the keeper, but Luis Suarez finds the angle too tight and can only hit the side-netting. Arguably should have scored.

Luis Suarez breaches the Ghana offside trap, but the flag goes up erroneously, costing him a chance to run through. Hans Sarpei was playing him on at left-back - lucky escape for the Africans.

Free-kick to Ghana, 30 yards out, pretty central. Looks like Sulley Muntari wants it.

He might have wanted it, but Asamoah Gyan takes it and curls the ball a few yards over. Next one's Sulley's, I reckon.

Lovely stuff from the Uruguayans courtesy of a quick throw down the left from Jorge Fucile and when the ball is played in to Luis Suarez inside the Ghana box on the left, his right-foot toe-poke forces Richard Kingson to leap up and tip the ball over.

That's chance number one - Diego Forlan whips over a free-kick from the right and Luis Suarez gets there first, his glancing, stooping header saved at his near post by Richard Kingson.

Ghana have already proved they have the stomach for extra-time after their last 16 win over USA. It's an awful lot to put the world's second largest continent through again.

The edge has gone out of the game in the last couple of minutes - have these teams settled for extra-time? And are we destined to go all the way to penalties this evening? Not long left of normal time now, still Uruguay 1-1 Ghana.

Even the Vuvuzelas have quietened down inside Soccer City - are the Ghana fans saving their puff for the 30 extra minutes? Ghana take off goalscorer Sulley Muntari and send Dominic Adiyiah on in his place.

Kevin-Prince Boateng overhits a cross from the Ghana right as they try to break and it runs out of play as he bows his head. That might be the last chance they get in normal time.

Here's what's at stake: Ghana are bidding to become the first African team to reach the World Cup semi-finals; two-time champions Uruguay are trying to reach the last four for the first time since 1970.

Diego Forlan plays an exquisite pass out to the right to Luis Suarez, but his first touch is a bit heavy and he cannot get his shot away. They remain so, so dangerous, those Uruguay strikers.

Boy there are some tired legs out there. Mistakes at the back from Uruguay let Asamoah Gyan in with half a chance, but his effort is blocked by Andres Scotti. Gyan needs some treatment on an ankle injury.

Asamoah Gyan isn't moving too cleverly, but he's back on. Wild horses, and all that.

Hans Sarpei is the next Ghanaian to go down, but he trudges back on too. A Diego Forlan corner from the right is headed away by Asamoah Gyan. These boys have all put in one heck of a shift tonight.

John Pantsil is a lucky boy. He seems to stick his leg out and bring Sebastian Abreu down in the Ghana area, but referee Olegario Benquerenca waves play on.

And we're back under way. In the stadium designed in the style of an African cooking implement, a continent's hopes are in the melting pot now.

There isn't much going on inside Soccer City at the moment, though Ghana are the better team and a cross from the right is headed wide by Asamoah Gyan.

Chris Waddle's right, the ref should just blow up. Neither side is willing to take a risk now, and you can't really blame them.

A ball into the Uruguay box looks like it is falling perfectly for Stephen Appiah, but he cannot quite control it and the chance goes begging. At the other end, Diego Forlan slams over from an angle on the left. Tired, tired, tired.

We nearly had our winner. Asamoah Gyan causes mayhem inside the Uruguay area and Andres Scotti's sliced clearance nearly loops into his own net, only for Maxi Pereira to boot the ball of from near his own goalline.

Kwadwo Asamoah's first corner is cleared at the near post by Sebastian Abreu and his second one is by the same player - neither got past the first man. A long throw is flicked on and Kevin-Prince Boateng heads wide from six yards.

Kevin-Prince Boateng's cross-shot from the Ghana left almost catches Fernando Muslera out, but he reacts quickly to beat the ball away at his near post. It's just horrible this, isn't it?

Fair to say Luis Suarez did the only thing he could possibly do there by handling the ball - he's kept his team in this quarter-final. Can Uruguay go and win it without him, or will Ghana recover from the hammer blow of missing that spot-kick?

FORLAN SCORES

GYAN SCORES
Top corner - that took guts. Top-class.

VICTORINO SCORES

APPIAH SCORES

SCOTTI SCORES

MENSAH SAVED
No run-up, Fernando Muslera saves it. The crowd falls silent.

MAXI PEREIRA MISSES
Blazes over. The stadium erupts.

ADIYIAH SAVED
Brilliant save one-handed from Fernando Muslera, low down to his right.

ABREU SCORES
Genius. He's just broken Africa's hearts by chipping it down the middle. Ghana are out.

URUGUAY ARE THROUGH TO THE SEMI-FINALS OF THE WORLD CUP

Some of the Ghana players are absolutely devastated. Asamoah Gyan weeps inconsolably as his team-mates rally round to support him. Soccer City is eerily quiet. This sport of ours, what it does to people.

We have our first World Cup semi-final line-up. It's not Brazil v Ghana, it's the Netherlands v Uruguay and it will take place in Cape Town on Tuesday at 1930 BST. I want to cry with Asamoah Gyan.

Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez embrace as the Uruguay players go over to a pocket of their fans in Jo'burg. Let's not under-estimate what an achievement this is for such a proud footballing nation - the country with only 3.5 million inhabitants is in the semi-finals of the World Cup. I doff my hat to thee, Uruguay.

Our friends at Infostrada Sports tell us that in the last seven penalty shoot-outs at the World Cup, the team that began the series has emerged victorious.

See 19:00 - I told you it would be penalties. You know, sometimes I really hate myself. This World Cup might not be the best for quality of football, but my word it's giving us some thrills and spills along the way.

"When Asamoah Gyan hit the bar it was unbelievable. You go through so many feelings in the shootout, I can't believe we won. The way we worked together, the fact we're in the last four in the World Cup, it's unbelievable."

OK, I'm hearing you - but can we just get one thing clear? Luis Suarez did not cheat. He used the rules to his advantage, got lucky and then got even luckier. It's football's fault there isn't such a thing as a penalty try, not  Luis Suarez's.

My hands are soaking, my heartbeat's off the scale and I can't see anymore. I'm off outside to try and cheer up the Ghana fans who will be trudging away from Soccer City stadium as I type these very words. See you on Saturday for Argentina v Germany and Paraguay v Spain. I love you guys. I really love you. Night night.