Argentina clinched a berth in next year's
World Cup, beating archrival Brazil 3-1 Wednesday night and retaining
the lead in South American qualifying behind two goals from striker
Hernan Crespo.
Crespo scored in the third and 39th minutes and Juan Roman Riquelme
added another in the 18th in a showdown between the two South American
soccer powerhouses, winners of seven World Cup championships.
Roberto Carlos scored Brazil's goal in the 71st.
Argentina, World Cup winners in 1978 and 1986, leads the 10-team
qualifying group with 31 points, followed by defending champion Brazil
with 27. Ecuador is third with 23, followed by Paraguay with 22 after 15
games.
In the latest chapter in their rivalry for soccer supremacy, Argentina
dominated much of the match against a Brazilian squad without star
striker Ronaldo, who asked to be excused because of personal reasons.
In the first half, Argentina controlled most of the possession with
nifty passing and movement, eliciting chants of ``Ole! Ole! from fans at
Monumental Stadium.
Crespo opened the scoring early, collecting a pass from Luis Gonzalez to
beat goalkeeper Dida with a low shot.
Argentine playmaker Riquelme made it 2-0 in the 17th minute, receiving
the ball with his back to the net before turning to beat his defender
and launching a left-footed blast from outside the penalty area. The
midfielder celebrated by running over to Argentina's bench and hugging
teammate Pablo Aimar and later kissing his own jersey.
Argentina kept up the pressure through the first half. In the 39th, with
Brazil slow to react defensively, Riquelme played a short pass off a
corner kick to Javier Saviola who sent a lofting chip that Crespo headed
in for his seventh in qualifying for the 2006 tournament.
But the five-time champions came out in the second half looking toward
the goal.
Roberto Carlos sent a bending free kick into the upper corner of the net
in the 71st minute, foreshadowing a flurry of Brazilian attacks.
Adriano had two scoring opportunities in the final 15 minutes, sending a
header just over the crossbar and hitting the post with a low drive.
After the final whistle, Argentina's players gathered in a circle at
midfield, hugging each other and jumping in place.
Argentina's victory evened the series between the teams at 33-33-24. In
2002, Argentina was eliminated in the first round of the World Cup,
which Brazil won over Germany. |
