Argentina 3 Mexico 1: Tevez inspires Argentina into quarter-finals place

On a day to forget for match officials, the Manchester City striker benefited from an offside decision blunder that was so blatant it ranked alongside the one that denied Frank Lampard in the England game four hours previously.

The offside rule states there should be two players between the striker and the goal – there was not even one when Lionel Messi's ball found Tevez's head, and then the net to put Diego Maradona's side in front.

After the replay flashed up on the big screen angry Mexico players surrounded the Italian referee Roberto Rosetti and linesman Stefano Ayroldi but the goal stood.

Mexico went into meltdown and a defensive howler by Ricardo Osorio allowed Gonzalo Higuain to make it 2-0.

It was Tevez who sewed the match up in brilliant fashion – and legitimately this time – early in the second half with Mexico left only to savour a stunning reply by Manchester United's new signing Javier Hernandez.

Until Tevez's opener Mexico had looked the better side in this clash between the Latin Americans who had fought out a terrific contest at the same stage of the 2006 finals.

That went to extra time but once again Javier Aguirre's men showed themselves to be a classy but unfortunate outfit.

Two incidents within the opening 10 minutes had Argentinian hearts in mouths. First Carlos Salcido crashed in a thunderous drive from 30 yards that Sergio Romero just touched onto the crossbar, then an equally terrific strike by Andres Guardado whisked agonisingly past the post.

For Argentina, Messi, still looking for his first goal of the tournament, had two efforts from similar positions on the left of the area, but one was blocked and the other easily held by Oscar Perez.

Hernandez turned away from his marker and slammed a shot wide but then came Tevez's offside goal and Mexico lost their heads.

First captain Rafael Marquez earned himself a needless booking for showing his frustration, then there was real calamity when Osorio scuffed a pass across the edge of his own box, Higuain seized onto the ball and kept his cool to round Perez neatly and slide home.

Higuain really should have made it a comfortable 3-0 scoreline to the Argentinians but somehow the Real Madrid striker put a free header wide from only six yards out.

There was an unseemly melee around the officials as the teams left the pitch at half-time, with Maradona finding himself in the unusual position of peacemaker.

Any hopes Mexico had ended soon after the restart thanks to Tevez's 52nd-minute blistering strike into the top corner from 25 yards out.

It was left to Hernandez to rescue some pride for Mexico. The 22-year-old had just sent a header over despite being unmarked, but then he left Martin Demichelis standing with a superb turn and lashed the ball high past Romero to give Mexico a slim lifeline.

Argentina shut up shop after that and Mexico barely had another sniff.

Maradona brushed aside controversy over Argentina's opening goal by claiming referees are overlooking "scandalous" treatment of Messi.

He refused to be drawn on Mexico coach Aguirre's criticism of the offside decision, saying: "He must have felt the same as we have felt when Messi gets kicked around and the referee does not act.

"I have lived that myself, when I was a player when you had three players on you 20 years ago.

"Whenever Messi has the ball everyone is trying to kick his legs, what is being done to Messi is a scandal – they don't even look for the ball they try to kick him. I understand the Mexicans' feelings but there is a limit to everything."