Mexico finally brought it's A Game last night against Argentina, but it wasn't enough to stop the Albicelestes from marching on to the quarterfinals. An absolutely unstoppable volley from Maxi Rodriguez was the difference yesterday, as Mexico's tireless midfield kept the likes of Riquelme and Saviola quiet throughout. Even the introduction of Leo Messi and Carlos Tevez wasn't enough to for Argentina to breach Mexico's outstanding defense, and you always felt the Mexicans might be able to counter and score. This was the best game of the tournament so far, the San Jose Mercury News said. They game started like a flash, with Mexico taking the lead through a well-worked free kick which saw an unmarked Rafa Marquez drive the ball home from the far post. Four minutes later, Argentina equalized through Hernan Crespo from a corner kick. The game was an intriguing stalemate after that, until Maxi Rodriguez's stunning chest-trap and first-time volley flew into the upper left hand corner of the goal. "Now everyone in the world knows that Mexico plays good football," Mexico Coach Ricardo Lavolpe said. "We played Argentina on equal terms." Mexico captain Rafa Marquez agreed his team had matched mighty Argentina, admitting that a true "golazo" was the only thing that could separate them. And so it is sometimes in the World Cup: Argentina have been on the other side things, too (Dennis Bergkamp in 1998 comes to mind). Sometimes good teams just can't surpass their history. Perhaps that bodes poorly for Spain, who play France on Tuesday.

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