Argentina – Mexico

The teams are in: Argentina: Abbondanzieri, Ayala, Heinze, Scaloni, Sorin, Cambiasso, Riquelme, Maxi, Mascherano, Saviola, Crespo. Subs: Franco, Coloccini, Tevez, Palacio, Milito, Aimar, Cufre, Messi, Cruz, Burdisso, Gonzalez, Ustari. Mexico: Sanchez, Salcido, Marquez, Guardado, Osorio, Castro, Mendez, Pardo, Borgetti, Morales, Fonseca. Subs: Corona, Suarez, Torrado, Zinha, Franco, Ochoa, Pineda, Bravo, Garcia, Arellano, Rodriguez, Perez. Referee: Massimo Busacca (Switzerland)

Interesting selections from both coaches. Pekerman prefers Saviola to Tevez and Messi in attack and gives Lionel Scaloni a surprise start at right back.

And Jared Borgetti, out since he was injured against Iran, returns for Mexico, without the banned Perez.

The reward for the winner is a clash with Germany after the hosts beat Sweden 2-0 earlier today.

And happy birthday to Riquelme (28 today) and Messi (19). Will they have something to celebrate?

Mexico get us going. They have never reached the quarter-finals away from home. Can they do so now?

Guardado wins them the frist throw

And straight away Borgetti almost has a chance. Scaloni has to hack clear and it's a corner.

Set-piece specialist Pardo comes across to take, but the referee says he's taken it too quickly.

Take two for Pardo. Borgetti wins the flick-on, it takes a deflection and lands on the roof of the net.

Scaloni again comes to the rescue, volleying clear. Great start for Mexico.

Now Salcido heads for the byline before pushing Scaloni, who has had a big role to play already.

Riquelme turns away from Pardo and sprints away but Mendez gets a tackle in on Saviola

Back come Mexico again with Mendez powering forward before he is halted in the tackle.

Already it's end to end stuff, played at rael pace.

Pardo picks out Castro on the right, Mascherano slides in and concedes the free kick.

GOAL - Would you believe it, Mexico lead. Marquez with the finish at the far post.

Pardo took the free kick, Mendez won the free kick and Marquez reacted quicker than anyone else

Now that is a turn-up. And how do Argentina respond? They've not been behind so far this tournament.

Saviola aims for Crespo in the box, but Osorio nips in to win it.

And Mexico certainly didn't play this well, or at this pace, in the group stage.

Now Argentina start to get their passing going and Guardado brings down Rodriguez.

Riquelme is the orchestrator at set pieces. He shoots, it hits the wall and is a corner.

Riquelme goes over to take it. Pardo concedes another.

GOAL - Argentina are level. Crespo claims it but Borgetti may have got the touch

Riquelme's corner was dangerous and Borgetti headed it past Sanchez as Crespo challenged. What a start in Leipzig.

And credit to Mexico, they still look positive after that setback.

Now Riquelme starts a move, Argentina change gear and Salcido intercepts well to halt Saviola.

Fonseca plays a superb pass for Borgetti. He is in behind Heinze and it takes a fine block from Ayala to deflect his shot away from goal.

Pardo with the corner which Cambiasso volleys away.

Flying header clear from Heinze but at the moment, Argentina are being pegged back in their own half.

Riquelme takes retribution on Marquez after Argentina lose the ball. A free kick is awarded.

Salcido does really well to get a deep cross in. Fonseca wins the header, but can't direct it.

Marquez makes a fine block on Crespo's shot. Cambiasso found him with a really perceptive pass.

But it is a corner, which Riquelme takes. It is headed out at the near post.

Riquelme is at the hub of everything for Argentina. He finds Sorin, whose cross is cut out.

Riquelme chips his pass over the top, but Crespo is caught offside.

A really entertaining start to this game, and both teams could be exhausted if they keep up this pace.

It's notable how far up field the Mexican wing-backs, Salcido and Castro, are playing to make it a five-man mdifield.

CRESPO SHOULD SCORE! And he doesn't. He's onside as he meets Cambiasso's deft pass, lobs the advancing Sanchez but his effort drops wide.

That was the sort of chance Crespo is expected to take.

Cambiasso looks to thread through another pass. Marquez reads it.

Mexico are really positive on the counter attack. Pardo leads it, finding Borgetti and his cross is chested back to the keeper by Heinze.

Now Borgetti has room to shoot on the edge of the box and Abbondanzieri pushes it wide. Good save.

Morales comes across and Mexico play it short. Then Pardo crosses and Abbondanzieri claims.

Riquelme with the deft chip forward. Rodriguez makes the run and it is as well that keeper Sanchez came off his line to thwart him.

Saviola is writhing around on the ground after jumping for a header with Salcido.

He landed awkwardly but manages to get to his feet and should carry on.

Saviola is back and penalised for handball as he tries to control Scaloni's pass.

Scaloni and Saviola link up but twice the right-back's lack of control lets him down.

Mexico break forward again with Fonseca finding Borgetti, who lays it back to Guardado. He thumps his shot off Cambiasso for a corner.

Moralesgoes for the inswinger. Borgetti wins the flick-on, but it drifts out for a goal kick.

Scaloni's cross is calmly chested back to the keeper by Castro.

Riquelme makes a quick break and looks for Saviola with the through ball. It had just too much weight on it.

Salcido, meanwhile, is down and needs treatment.

Sorin's cross goes just over Crespo and Salcido is calmness personified as he chests it back to Sanchez.

Rodriguez initially misjudges a cross and then recovers to clear.

Castro is a little too eager as he bundles over Rdoriguez. Free kick 40 yards out.

Riquelme can swing it in, but the Mexican offside trap works. Argentina retreat and the keeper claims.

Abbondanzieri gives Argentina a scare, palming Morales' cross up in the air. Borgetti almost gets to it before the keeper recovers.

Marquez strolls out of defence to bend in a cross that Ayala heads away.

Change already for Mexico. The midfielder Torrado is coming on and Pardo is going off, presumably in a straight swap.

It looks as though Pardo is injured. He's certainly not played badly at all.

Great ball from Osorio, beating the Argentine defence and Borgetti just doesn't quite react quickly enough to reach it. It was a close thing.

Saviola's weaving run is halted by Torrado and Mexico, so impressive so far, have thwarted another attack.

Mexico have so many bodies in the centre of the pitch it is hard for Argentina to thread passes through them.

Osorio comes up from centre back and, rather strangely, attempts an overhead kick as Ayala heads the ball away. A sign of ambition nonetheless.

High, wide and handsome: Cambiasso's 25-yard shot does not trouble Sanchez.

Crespo first comes deep to get the ball and then is ruled offside when he receives Scaloni's cross. A frustrating time for him.

Torrado breaks from midfield for Mexico. His shot is wild, however. Two added minutes in this first half.

Yellow card - and it could have been red. Heinze lost control, was robbed by Fonseca and brought him down. He was the last man.

The referee pointed to Ayala, but he could not have got back. Heinze was the last defender.

Free kick 25 yards out. Marquez places it, but Morales hits it. The wall does its job.

Half-time and a superb half. Mexico have given Argentina their toughest test and, had Heinze been sent off, they would be down to 10. Marquez put Mexico ahead, Argentina levelled through the Borgetti own goal. There's everything to play for.

Argentina start this second half, and after a rocky first 45 minutes, it is time to justify their billing as favourites.

After a rather innocuous challenge from Mendez, Sorin goes down, but it doesn't look anything serious. In fact, it looks a problem with his shoelaces.

Now Riquelme looks as though he has hurt himself. A stop-start beginning to this second half.

Riquelme is playing on, however, and Argentina are unhurried in their passing.

They still are, perhaps in an attempt to change the tempo after Mexico's rapid start to the first half.

Cambiasso's through ball gives Saviola little chance, though he is onside.

Marquez robs Saviola and comes forward. But it breaks down when Borgetti loses out.

Now Argentina attack. Scaloni is forward, he crosses deep and Saviola is adjudged to have pushed Marquez.

Saviola, incidentally, may have swapped right flank for left in this second half.

Fonseca's flick looks good but only falls to Heinze.

And an Argentine attack also peters out, with Mexico quick to track back.

A real cagey start to this second half. Who can pick up the tempo?

Riquelme floats a pass towards Rodriguez, but Salcido is alert and heads away.

Mendez to Morales on the left, he cuts inside and crosses to Borgetti...

GREAT SAVE! A point-blank block from Abbondanzieri to deny Borgetti, who was challenged by Sorin as the shot came in.

Fine move, fine block. Torrado slid in on Riquelme as he lined up a shot after some intricate passing.

Riquelme, now, is tripped by Torrado on the right touchline. A good position to cross.

Riquelme himself takes the free kick. He picks out Rodriguez, who miscues his shot and Sanchez punches it over the bar.

Riquelme takes, Heinze leaps highest but he can't control his header and it goes some way over.

Guardado breaks forward with some urgency. Sorin ends the move with a tackle on Mendez.

Fine save from Sanchez, punching away from Saviola. But Riquelme was brilliant there, turning away from his marker and playing a wonderful first-time ball.

Riquelme almost curls the corner straight in. That seemed a shot. It is a goal kick.

Saviola looks for Crespo and Osorio gets a vital touch away from him. Argentina are starting to exert pressure.

But Mexico have a free kick in the other half. they opt to pass the ball sideways.

Riquelme is playing the game at his own speed. It almost gets him in trouble there, but he evades a challenge.

Riquelme crosses from the left, but Crespo's run renders the cross too deep.

Now a pause as Guardado lands awkwardly from a challenge on Rodriguez.

Mexico were preparing to bring on Zinha, but Guardado's injury has changed that.

Guardado returns now as Saviola finds Scaloni in loads of space and his wayward shot almost turns into a cross for Rodriguez.

Now Guardado does go off as Pineda is brought on in his place. That looks the result of injury.

This is starting to look like it will go to extra time.

Riquelmeis dropping out to the left in a bid to find room to influence this game.

A yellow card for Marquez, who rather kicked Crespo up in the air.

Argentina have been on top in the second half, but without too many chances to show for their dominance.

Argentina still have all their substitutions available to them. This observer would like to see Tevez, sooner rather than later

Fonseca's shot takes a deflection and Abbondanzieri gathers to stop it going out for a corner.

Mexico make their third change with Morales being replaced by Zinha.

Fonseca crosses, Borgetti wins the header but Heinze clears up and takes it away from Zinha.

Now Mexico are looking more adventurous again. Borgetti rises highest to meet Pineda's cross and heads wide. He thinks he was nudged by Sorin. No one else does really.

Double change for Argentina. Aimar and Tevez come on, Cambiasso and Crespo go on, and they are fairly positive changes.

Aimar, in particular, is a more attacking player than Cambiasso, who he has replaced.

Saviola is brought down by Marquez. This is a chance for Riquelme to put the ball in the box.

He takes, but Mexico advance en masse and the offside flag goes up.

This has been less eventful than the first half, but will get more and more tense as the clock ticks down.

First sight of Tevez, running at two, getting into traffic and then matching on to a return ball to force a save from an acute angle.

Aimar takes over from Riquelme as corner taker, but it makes no difference. Torrado heasd away.

Scaloni's cross is deep. Mendez heads away and Mexico, perhaps tiring, lose it, only to reclaim possession again.

Salcido nudges the lively Tevez, who goes down. Argentina opt to pass from the free kick, but surely they need to show a bit more urgency now.

Sorin, meanwhile, turns Castro and is brought down. Yellow card for Torrado, who took his feet there.

Riquelme whips it in and Osorio meets it. No problem for Mexico there.

Zinha leads a counter attack before he is bundled over very clumsily by Scaloni. That should have been a booking, but wasn't.

And now it's time for birthday boy Messi. He takes Saviola's place in attack, and both managers have made all their changes now.

Marquez looks for Borgetti from the free kick and the striker just can't reach far enough to make contact.

Well, it now appears that Castro was booked for the foul Torrado committed a couple of minutes back. Will that come back to haunt the referee?

Great burst down the middle of the pitch from Zinha, who went past three, but couldn't find Borgetti.

Then Zinha crosses, Fonseca rises six yards out... and heads wide.

Fonseca so nearly made himself the Mexican hero.

Mascherano thinks he has got the ball. Mexico think he got Osorio. He probably got both. Free kick, anyway.

Marquez batters it into the wall where Riquelme blocks it.

Well, can anyone make themselves the hero now?

Three added minutes are signalled. Extra time beckons.

Tevez gets behind the Mexico defence, dithers for too long and Osorio gets back to win the ball. He really should have shot.

Messi links up with Tevez and Aimar, but the counter attack loses its momentum.

Argentina score! But it is disallowed - and wrongly. Aimar slid in Messi for the tap-in and that should have been the winner.

And Mexico have got out of jail. Argentina unlocked their defence.

Tevez escapes two and gets in the box but the third man, Osorio, stops him. And that's extra time.

Perhaps luck has evened itself out. Heinze should have been sent off. Messi should have had a winner. But as it stands, this game should have been decided there in injury time.

The first game of this World Cup to go to extra time. There will be some tired players, but which of them can send their team through to face Germany?

Argentina get us going again

Torrado brings down Aimar and again, Argentina's priority is to keep the ball and pass it around.

Messi and Tevez combine, and will one of the subs prove the trump card?

Mexico look the more tired, but Castro ventures forward to win a throw.

And Zinha finds Fonseca, who almost juggles his way through. There's no way past Ayala, however.

Messi on a terrific little run. He even tried to stay on his feet when Osorio clipped him - and it could have been a penalty otherwise.

Messi again, picking out Tevez, but the move breaks down.

Marquez goes for the spectacular from 40 yards. His shot isn't far wide, either.

But so far in extra time, no one has had the combination of inspiration and energy required to fashion a clear-cut chance.

Heinze completely misjudges a header, but thankfully for him, no one can capitalise on it.

WHAT A GOAL! Rodriguez with one of the great volleys.

It was a left-footed effort from 25 yards. He took Sorin's cross on his chest and gave Sanchez no chance.

Absolutely brilliant from Rodriguez and noe Argentina have one foot in the last eight.

Pineda looks for Borgetti and Abbondanzieri can claim.

And Argentina's approach is the same: keep the ball. It must frustrate Mexico, who now need to score.

And even when Mexico clear, it goes straight to Scaloni. They can't get out of their half now.

Aimar tries a cheeky, first-time lob over Sanchez. It goes over the bar as well.

Castro looks for Borgetti. Abbondanzieri comes out to claim.

And Mexico, having put so much into this game, are struggling to respond to Rodriguez's wonder goal.

Mexico, of course, have no subs left. They have to look for the equaliser with the 11 on the pitch.

Another goal would seal it and, with Tevez, Messi, Aimar, Rodriguez and Riquelme on the pitch, Argentina might be advised to go for it.

Aimar breaks on the left and loses his footing in the penalty box.

And the first half of extra time peters out. Nothing much has happened - except a truly great goal from Rodriguez to give Argentina the advantage.

Mexico kick off, perhaps 15 minutes from the end of their World Cup.

Riquelme looks to release Tevez, but the striker is caught offside.

Argentina get a free kick and they are quite content to take their time over it. You can hardly blame them for that.

Now Zinha advances and shoots but Abbondanzieri can watch it go safely wide.

La Volpe is moving players around, but can he get a response in the form of a goal?

Fine tackle by Mascherano as Fonseca looks to launch an attack.

Now Tevez can delay Mexico with a trick or two.

Cheeky from Riquelme, flicking his pass to Scaloni over Fonseca.

Now it could become exhibition stuff as Messi shows his skill.

Osorio, out wide on the right, has been chopped down by Sorin, who is booked.

Free kick and a chance to get men forward.

Zinha takes, but Rodriguez can head it away.

Osorio escapes Sorin again and Mascherano provides an invaluable bit of covering to disposses him.

Sensational move. Messi and Tevez showcase their skill and the latter, had he not slipped, would have been in on goal.

Scaloni moves around rather gingerly after blocking a cross from Pineda.

Osorio is basically playing as a right winger now for Mexico while Mascherano has effectively become a fifth defender for Argentina.

He's not a bad right winger, either. Borgetti reached that cross with a glancing header. Eventually, Argentina clear.

Messi on a terrific little solo run. Torrado tugs him down and now he is booked - and had the referee cautioned him and not Castro for the foul he committed earlier, he would be off.

Argentina try to play keep ball and, oddly, Riquelme is the weak link.

Fonseca's is the latest name in the book for kicking the ball away.

Mexico are struggling to get the ball now - just what Argentina want.

That's it. It took extra time but Argentina, courtesy of Rodriguez's marvellous volley, finally saw off a brave Mexico side. Their reward is a meeting with Germany in the quarter-finals.

What a game, what a winner, and Argentina are through.