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Argentina on a roll

Mohammad Isam
It would take something very special to stop this Argentinean juggernaut.
Seven goals, nine points and a myriad of brilliant moves later, the team that only managed to qualify to the World Cup finals have romped into the last sixteen. And it was apt that Martin Palermo, a 36-year-old striker who was recalled after a 10-year international hiatus, put the exclamation mark after coming on as a late substitute. Palermo's tap-in after the little genius Lionel Messi forced the impressive Greek goalkeeper Alexandros Tzorvas into a parry made it 2-0 in the 89th minute, on a night when the former European champions became roadkill of another Argentina special in Polokwane.
As Greece were forced to trot back, Messi and co drove in shot after shot in the second half after Tzorvas stopped at least four clear attempts on goal in the first 45 minutes.
Eventually Martin
Demichelis rammed home from close range in the 77th minute after his header from Messi's comer bounced back off teammate Diego Milito, who himself got a first call-up to the starting eleven after Diego Maradona decided to make seven changes to the side.
Mexico will now be Argentina's second round
opponents after they finished second behind Uruguay in Group A. Uruguay's 1 -0 win in Rustenburg over Mexico sealed the fate of hosts South Africa and France, who duly finished at the bottom of the group standings.
While South Africa became the first host nation to be knocked out in the first round, Africa as a continent face the
imminent danger of going unrepresented in the rest of the tournament after Nigeria were also eliminated from Group B.
They drew 2-2 with South Korea who made all of Asia proud with their progress into the second round. Their tie against equally free-spirited Uruguay on Saturday promises to be a cracker.
But it wasn't an entirely perfect day of football.
Aiyegbeni Yakubu is probably kicking himself somewhere between Durban and Abuja after his 'miss of the tournament'. Yakubu managed to turn the ball wide from six yards out, in the centre of the goal with no Korean goalkeeper or defender in sight.
And if that was bad, the red
card by referee Oscar Ruiz to French midfielder Yoann Gourcuff was a sham. But this overtly officious refereeing is slowly becoming a standard of some sort at this World Cup.
GourcufFs routine jump for a comer had his elbow hit Siphiwe Tshabalala, but it didn't look malicious. Funnily, Djibril Cisse was given the marching orders and it was after he had gone a fair distance weeping, it was discovered that Gourcuff was sent off.
Raymond Domenech did his already stinker of a reputation no favours when he refused to shake hands with Carlos Alberto Parreira at the end of the match.
That summed up France's World Cup campaign.