Both Asamoah Gyan and Sulley Ali Muntari could have left the Cologne encounter against the Czechs with a brace of goals. Muntari foolishly strayed offside before he tapped in his second, comically celebrating for several seconds before realising it had been disallowed. Meanwhile, Gyan missed a retaken penalty that would have added to the historic goal he struck in the second minute.

Again, inexperience led to an unprofessional error, as the Ghana No 3 attempted to take the penalty while the referee was in the process of dismissing Fiorentina's Tomas Ujfalusi – thus earning his second caution of the tournament. Although the man who plays with a smile on his face saw the lighter side of his miss after the match. "I'm disappointed I didn't score the penalty. I'm going back to train more," he joked.

Nonetheless, it was a costly mistake as Gyan now misses Ghana's crucial third match against the USA, a tie that he sees as vital in the World Cup debutant's bid to reach the second round. "I'm sorry to miss the next game. I'm important to the nation and to the team. I opened the way against the Czech Republic and I think everything is open in Group E now," said the Accra-born striker. "We were just the better team, but the next game against the USA is very, very important."

Regardless of whether his nation can go on and progress without him, Gyan has made enough of an impact against the two European big hitters in Group E to raise his profile on the peninsula and make him a national hero in Ghana. Helping his nation to their first win at the Finals is without doubt the pinnacle of his career to date. "This is our first World Cup, so it's an historic moment for Ghana. In our first game we lost a little bit of concentration, but we did our homework well and everything was so great in our second match," he explained.

Having spent the past two seasons in Serie B with Modena, Gyan will now return to Udinese from his loan spell with the Canarini with enough of a reputation to earn himself a chance of first team football and a place in Giovanni Galeone's plans next season. Already proven at international level – his goal against Pavel Nedved and Co was his ninth from 15 caps – he was clearly Ghana's biggest threat against Italy, and his next target must be to confirm himself as a star striker at domestic level.

After starting his career at Liberty Professionals in his homeland, he earned his switch to Udinese in January 2003, before going on to appear in all three of Ghana's matches at the Athens Olympics – including a clash with the Azzurrini. Aged only 19 when he arrived in Italy – but already a full international after making a goalscoring debut against Somalia in November 2003 – it was decided that he would progress better by going out on loan to Modena. His education at the Stadio Alberto Braglia couldn't have gone any better if the results in Germany are anything to go by.

Yet, with only 15 goals in over 50 games for the Gialloblu over the past two seasons, the 20-year-old is clearly not yet the finished article – although a right knee injury suffered in Ghana's training camp ahead of African Cup of Nations did restrict his appearances in the last campaign, as well as ruling him out of the continental event. But, he did help Modena into the Serie B play-offs last term, and the confidence boost of his fine World Cup, plus the knowledge that he gave the likes of Alessandro Nesta and Fabio Cannavaro plenty of trouble, will no doubt give him some added belief if he gets some playing time for Udinese next year.

Having made his Serie A debut for the Friuli outfit – and only appearance to date in the top Division – back in 2003, in a 4-3 classic against Parma, he already knows what standards he has to reach in Italy's top tier. His explosive pace and good upper body strength will likely see him given the tag of 'the new Obafemi Martins', but he will need to iron out some creases in his play if he is to live up to that title – had he been more decisive against Italy and the Czech Republic, he could have easily had more than just the one World Cup goal.

While the future of Iaquinta at the Stadio Friuli remains in doubt, there is every chance of a vacancy in the Udinese forward line. With fellow countryman Muntari already at the club to help him settle in, the only problem he should have is convincing Galeone to give him his break. If that opportunity arises, you can be sure he will be one to keep a close eye on in Serie A next season.