06 July 2007

Argentina finished atop Group-C in the Copa America, yesterday, by virtue of a 1-0 win over 2nd-place Paraguay. Still, both sides will advance into the quarter-final stage of the competition. Argentina have been tied with Peru while Paraguay will face Mexico. Both matches will be played on Sunday, 08 July, at Barquisimento and Maturin, respectively.

Barquisimento was also host to the final pair of fixtures in Group-C, yesterday. The matches were played in the Metripolitano Stadium of the northwestern city -- just west of Caracas. Columbia defeated the United States 1-0 in the day's early start. Jaime Alberto Castrillon scored the game's only goal in the 16th-minute -- heading a superb Camilo Ziniga cross past Brad Guzon in the American goal. Hugo Rodallega looked to have his side on the cusp of a 2-0 advantage when he was awarded a penalty in the 35th-minute. He fluffed the effort, however; and both sides looked content to play out the string. With Argentina and Paraguay having run roughshod over their Group-C rivals, both teams took the field knowing that qualification for the last-8 was already out of reach. The most interesting storyline of the match came within the final 20-minutes. Columbian goalkeeper Robinson Zapata was shown his first of two yellow-cards in the 72nd-minute. His second was awarded for time-wasting with 3-minutes of normal-time to play. With Jorge Luis Pinto already having made his three substitutions, striker Rodallega went into the goal for the remainder of the match.

Argentina-versus-Paraguay was the show-down for 1st-place in Group-C. By virtue of their superior goal-differential, however, Paraguay required only a draw to guarantee a tie with Peru in the quarter-final. Over their first two matches, La Albirroja managed an impressive 8-goals -- Bayern Munich striker Roque Santa Cruz leading the way with 3-tallies against Columbia. But they seemed rather in over their heads against Argentina. Aimar, Cambiasso, Gago, and Gonzalez dominated the midfield while Roberto Abbondanzieri made several key saves in goal. With both sides guaranteed a place in the next round, the manager's opted to rest a handful of key players. Gabriel Heinze, Lionel Messi, Javier Mascherano, Hernan Crespo, and Juan Roman Riquelme were among the substitutes on the Argentine bench. Mascherano, however, got his chance to come onto the field in the 67th-minute. The change paid immediate dividends for manager Alfio Basile. The Liverpool midfielder scored the game's only goal in the 79th-minute. In truth, Argentina might well have been 3-0 up at the final whistle. Carlos Tevez hit the bar shortly after the interval and Pablo Aimar also missed a superb opportunity.