June 26, 2006	Monday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 29, 1427

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Argentina 2 ............ Mexico 1

LEIPZIG, June 25: A brilliant goal from Argentina's Maxi Rodriguez gave his country a 2-1 extra-time win over Mexico in the World Cup second round on Saturday.

Rodriguez struck eight minutes into extra time, controlling a cross-field pass with his chest and then hammering a superb, diagonal left-foot volley past Mexican goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez from 20 metres.

Argentina will play hosts Germany in the quarter-final in Berlin on Friday.

“It's a match that is much anticipated because they are two big teams in football history who have been world champions on different occasions,” Argentina coach Jose Pekerman told reporters looking ahead to that game.

The Latin American rivals had been level at 1-1 after 90 minutes, following two early goals.

Rodriguez added: “It was a very hard-fought match, we both tried to play football. It was end to end and we couldn't find the clarity to settle the match. Then it came with a shot (his) from outside the area.”

The Mexican captain Rafael Marquez took the result philosophically.

“The team has worked very well all this time and played a good match today against a team that everyone thought would run over us,” he told Mexican TV.

“On the contrary we were perhaps the better team. Maybe we didn't deserve this but football is like that.”

Mexico took the game to Argentina from the kick-off and shocked the favourites by taking the lead with their first chance in the sixth minute.

Pavel Pardo's free kick on the right was flicked on with his head by defender Mario Mendez and captain Rafael Marquez came in unmarked on the left behind the defence to shoot into the roof of the net past keeper Roberto Abbondanzieri.

Argentina were level within four minutes when Hernan Crespo was credited with netting Juan Roman Riquelme's corner although television replays clearly showed Mexico striker Jared Borgetti heading the ball into his own net trying to clear.

The Mexicans, quick on the counter-attack, troubled the centre of the Argentine defence time and again. Gabriel Heinze, having a poor game, was lucky not to be sent off for bringing down Jose Fonseca just before halftime.

Crespo could have had two goals midway through the first half, both times after being put through by superb passes into space from Esteban Cambiasso.

For the first, Marquez was quick to cut across the back of defence and block Crespo's shot, while the Argentina striker steered the ball wide of the far post on the second.

Mexico had the first chance of the second half too but Abbondanzieri saved one-handed from Borgetti at point-blank range.

At the other end, Sanchez pushed Javier Saviola's shot away for a corner after the striker had been sent through on the left by a superb pass from Riquelme.

Argentina sent on striker Carlos Tevez for Crespo and midfielder Pablo Aimar for Cambiasso for the final quarter of an hour. He then sent on Lionel Messi for Saviola.

Messi had the ball in the net just before the end of normal time, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

Scorers: Argentina – Hernan Crespo 10, Maxi Rodriguez 98; Mexico – Rafael Marquez 6.

Halftime: 1-1; Attendance: 43,000.

Teams:

ARGENTINA (4-4-2): 1-Roberto Abbondanzieri; 13-Lionel Scaloni, 2-Roberto Ayala, 6-Gabriel Heinze, 3-Juan Pablo Sorin; 18-Maxi Rodriguez, 8-Javier Mascherano, 5-Esteban Cambiasso (16-Pablo Aimar 76), 10-Juan Roman Riquelme; 7-Javier Saviola (19-Lionel Messi 84), 9-Hernan Crespo (11-Carlos Tevez 76).

MEXICO (4-3-3): 1-Oswaldo Sanchez; 16-Mario Mendez, 15-Jose Antonio Castro, 5-Ricardo Osorio, 3-Carlos Salcido; 4-Rafael Marquez, 18-Andres Guardado (14-Gonzalo Pineda 67), 8-Pavel Pardo (6-Gerardo Torrado 38); 9-Jared Borgetti, 11-Ramon Morales (7-Antonio Naelson Zinha 74), 17-Jose Francisco Fonseca.

Referee: Massimo Busacca (Switzerland)

Linesmen: Francesco Buragina and Matthias Arnet (both Switzerland).—Reuters