Argentina's Lionel Messi (L) fights for the ball with Netherlands' Rafael van der Vaart during their Group C World Cup 2006 football match in Frankfurt yesterday. - REUTERS
FRANKFURT, GERMANY (AP)
ARGENTINA WON GROUP C after holding the Netherlands to a 0-0 draw yesterday in their final match of the first round.
The two-time champion Argentines will face Mexico in the second round on Saturday in Leipzig, while the Dutch face Portugal on Sunday in Nuremberg. Both teams had already qualified for the last 16.
Lionel Messi made his first World Cup start for Argentina, and coach José Pekerman fielded four other second-string players, proving his team has strength in depth.
Messi, who played for 69 minutes, ran the show for much of the time he was on the field. He set up chances for teammates, tested the inexperienced Dutch defence and showed the skills only a precious few players in the world have.
When he was replaced, Diego Maradona applauded him from the stands.
At the same time, Netherlands winger Arjen Robben was on the bench, saving his strength for the second round. The Dutch also played without four other starters.
In his Dutch record-equalling 112th international, goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar produced the save of the match, a one-handed dive to swipe out a 20-yard drive from Carlos Tevez in the 74th minute.
Overall, the clash of the 1978 finalists rarely produced the intensity everyone had hoped for. It made Messi's performance all the more exciting.
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