Darwin Nunez tries to STAMP on the penalty spot by kicking through a crowd of Ghana players

Darwin Nunez has been booked for appearing to stamp on the penalty spot in a bid to mess up the turf after Ghana were awarded a first-half penalty against Uruguay.

The Liverpool forward was one of several players from both sides to surround the referee inside the Uruguay box ahead of Ayew’s shocking penalty miss, and footage appears to show his attempts to ruin the penalty spot. 

The 23-year-old was booked for what the referee deemed to be an attempt to scuff the turf and make it that much harder for the Ghana skipper to convert form 12 yards.

The 23-year-old could be seen stamping down through a crowd of Ghana players in the box

As it was, Ayew was unable to seize the initiative handed to his side and put the Black Stars ahead in the early stages of the first half, although it is unclear whether Nunez’s actions had anything to do with this. 

The ex-Swansea frontman was unable to put the ball past Uruguayan goalkeeper Sergio Rochet – who gave the penalty away – after the keeper dived low to his left to keep his side on level terms. 

Uruguay then went on to score twice in six first half minutes to lead 2-0 by the break in a game that could see either side join Portugal in the knockout rounds. 

Ghana defender Baba Rahman then pushed Nunez away to prevent further nefarious intervention

In going into referee Daniel Siebert’s book, Nunez made his first impact of note on the world Cup in Qatar. 

The Liverpool record signing had neither scored nor assisted heading into the game in what has been a quiet campaign for both him and his side, who were equally goalless prior to kick-off.   

The clash between the Black Stars and La Celeste is one steeped in World Cup history, following Luis Suarez’s infamous deliberate handball off the goal line in 2010 with Ghana looking to become the first African side to reach the semifinals. 

Giorgian de Arrascaeta scored twice in the first half to give Uruguay a 2-0 lead by the break

His exploits resulted in a penalty for Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan, which the former Sunderland forward could only smash against the bar. 

Suarez was see celebrating from the tunnel after being sent off for denying a goal scoring opportunity, and subsequently missed the semifinal defeat to a Gio van Bronckhorst stunner for Holland.

Suarez in fact returned to haunt Ghanaian fans with an assist for the first goal, which was headed home by Giorgian de Arrascaeta, before the pair combined yet again six minutes later to make it 2-0.  

Nunez’s booking was his first action of note in Qatar having failed to score or assist thus far