The Hindu : Sport : Riquelme takes Argentina to the last eight

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Wednesday, Jul 04, 2007
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Riquelme takes Argentina to the last eight

Paraguay makes it to the quarterfinals

Maracaibo (Venezuela): With two goals by Juan Roman Riquelme, Argentina qualified for the Copa America quarterfinals by thumping Colombia 4-2 on Monday.

With the score level, Riquelme scored the go-ahead goals in the 33rd and 45th minutes to guarantee the ‘Albiceleste’ a spot in the quarterfinals along with fellow Group C side Paraguay, and Mexico.

Striker Hernan Crespo left the match limping on his right leg after converting a penalty in the 20th in reply to Edixon Perea’s backheel finish for Colombia after 10 minutes.

The first of Riquelme’s pair came off a cross from Javier Zanetti. Then, 12 minutes later, the midfielder curved a free-kick over the Colombian wall and to the right corner of the net past a diving Miguel Calero.

Colombia’s Jaime Castrillon cut the lead to one when he headed a Fabian Vargas corner kick that goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri tried to punch out but deflected into the net at the 73rd.

Diego Milito scored Argentina’s fourth goal in injury time.

Unanswered goals

Meanwhile, in Barinas, Paraguay also moved into the Copa America quarterfinals by downing the United States 3-1.

Following a 5-0 defeat of Colombia to start Group C, Paraguay broke a halftime deadlock with the Americans with two unanswered goals in the second half through Oscar Cardozo and Salvador Cabanas. “The difference was defined in the goal box,” Paraguay coach Gerardo Martino said.

Paraguay struck first in the 30th minute, when Cordozo’s beautiful pass between Jimmy Conrad and Sacha Kljestan found Edgar Barreto, who slid the ball around charging goalkeeper Kasey Keller.

Fightback

The U.S. fightback grabbed a hold in the 40th minute when Taylor Twellman knocked down a deep ball, and with his back to the net, one-touched to Ricardo Clark, who buried a right-footed shot past a diving Justo Villar inside the near post. Defender Jonathan Bornstein’s slow clearing roll to Keller set up Paraguay’s second goal by Cardozo against the run of play at the start of the second half, and Cardozo’s replacement Cabanas capped the victory with a free-kick to the right post in injury time.

“I don’t know if he has 45 minutes yet and already he’s scored three goals,” Martino said. “He’s a tremendous scorer.”

The Americans should have scored first. Kljestan missed an open header in the 10th minute, and one play later a sliding Eddie Johnson just missed tipping in a pass.

The results: Copa America: Argentina 4 (Crespo-pen, Riquelme 2, Milito) bt Colombia 2 (Perea, Castrillon); Paraguay 3 (Barreto, Cardozo, Cabanas) bt USA 1 (Clark). — Agencies