Confederations Cup Semi-final/Argentina - 1 Mexico - 1: Argentina beat Mexico 6-5 on penalties in Hanover last night after their semi-final ended in a 1-1 draw after extra-time and will play world champions Brazil in the Confederations Cup final.
A poor match which only flickered briefly into life at the very end of a torpid 90 minutes finally tipped Argentina's way in the shoot-out after the first 10 penalties were all converted.
Mexican defender Ricardo Osorio was the first to miss from the spot when Argentina goalkeeper German Lux saved low to his right meaning that if Argentina scored with their next penalty they were through.
Esteban Cambiasso duly obliged with a well-struck shot to maintain his country's astonishingly successful record in semi-finals in major competitions.
Argentina have not been beaten in the penultimate stage of a top-class tournament since 1987, but that record looked in grave danger when Mexico went ahead 14 minutes into extra-time.
Carlos Salcido scored after a solo run from the halfway line down the left during which he evaded two tackles before curling home a well-executed goal.
But six minutes later Luciano Figueroa equalised for Argentina, doing well to control the ball which appeared to be running behind him, and then forcing in a shot from close range which squirmed past the defenders and goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez and just went over the line.
MEXICO: Sanchez; Osorio, Marquez, Salcido, Pineda; Pardo, Zinha (Torrado (94), Morales (Medina (72), Mendez; Lozano (Perez (56), Borgetti .
ARGENTINA: Lux; Zanetti, Coloccini, Milito (Maxi Rodriguez (66), Heinze; Cambiasso, Alberto Santana (Aimar (76), Riquelme, Sorin; Saviola, Figueroa (Galletti (116).
Referee: R Rosetti (Italy).
