FCBARCELONA.CAT

03.07.2007 14:11

Argentina into the quarters

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Argentina qualified for the quarter finals of the Copa América early on Monday night after defeating Colombia 4-2 in Maracaibo.

Having beaten the United States in their opening encounter, Lionel Messi’s national team eased to another victory to book their passage to the next phase of the competition. Despite dominating the encounter throughout though, the Albiceleste fell behind after just ten minutes when Edixon Perea put the Colombians ahead.

Quick response

The response from the Argentinians did not take long in coming though as Hugo Rodallega fouled Messi in the area and Hernán Crespo tucked away the resulting penalty with 20 minutes on the clock. Not satisfied with sitting back for the draw, Alfio Basile’s team pressed forced and they duly scored a second 11 minutes before the break with a move that began with Messi and ended with former Barça star Juan Román Riquelme adding the finishing touch. Riquelme then added his second and Argentina’s third on the stroke of half-time.

Another scare

The second half was characterised by Argentina’s complete domination, but once again they were caught napping as Jaime Castrillón pulled the Colombians back into the encounter with goal in the 76th minute. There were few fears that a draw would be on the cards and Diego Milito ensured that any hopes the opposition had were dashed when he netted a decisive fourth goal in injury time.

Dos Santos on the mark

The Mexican Under-20 team also enjoyed a victory on Monday night as Giovani dos Santos inspired his team to a 3-0 win over Gambia in the World Championships. The Barça starlet opened the scoring with a goal in the 57th minute.