ARGENTINA Romero – 6.5 – Didn’t have a massive amount to do in truth, and he was badly left exposed for the goal, which was certainly not his fault. Quickly off his line when required, the AZ custodian has little reason to be dissatisfied with his performance. Gutierrez – 7 – Deployed in the right-back role, the Newcastle United winger looked like a left-sided midfielder at times against Nigeria in the opening game but was more solid in this encounter. Got forward to good effect at times. Demichelis – 4.5 – Made life unnecessarily difficult for his side with a dreadful lapse in concentration just before the half-time interval and was solely responsible for the South Korea goal. Lucky his side was so sharp offensively. Samuel – 6.5 – Had made a positive start to the match before being forced off injured in the first half. Heinze – 6.5 – No longer able to be a particularly threatening presence from the left-back slot, the Olympique de Marseille man was largely content to take few risks against opponents who rarely looked likely to score. At times the Korean’s did get at him, most notably in the second half, when Yeom Ki-hun wasted a great chance. Rodriguez – 7 - Involved in the starting XI for the first time in this tournament, he was not one of the major protagonists in Argentina’s victory, yet he can still be happy with the performance he achieved over the course of this match. Mascherano – 7.5 – The dogged midfielder was quickly onto Park Ji-sung whenever the Manchester United player was in possession. By depriving the Korean link man of the ball, he played a great role in stifling the Asians in the first period of the game. Di Maria – 7.5 - Really strong showing in the first period, when he constantly got at the Korean defence. Showed superb technique and actually threatened to outdo Messi for a period, though as he got weaker in the second half, the Barcelona ace grew stronger. Messi – 8.5 – There had been worries that ‘El Mesias’ would not be at the top of his game for the World Cup, but after two matches that certainly doesn ’t seem to be the case. A slow start from the Barcelona star perhaps, but he made several telling burst in this game, playing a big hand in setting up all four goals. Higuain – 8.5 – Perhaps not the technically chiselled performance the Messi produced, but ultimately it was a showing that yielded three goals, and for that Higuain will grab the headlines. Scored a couple of textbook headers and a tap-in from two yards, also going close on several other occasions. Tevez – 7 – Everyone knows to expect nothing but 100 per cent commitment from Tevez, and that’s exactly what Diego Maradona got from the Manchester City man. Battled constantly for possession, winning a free kick by chasing a lost cause in the first half that ultimately led to Argentina’s second goal. One cracking shot flew just too high. Substitutes Burdisso – 6.5 – By no means a flawless game in the centre of the defence, but filled in solidly enough for Samuel. Aguero – 7 – Pepped up the offence for the final 15 minutes, providing an assist and nearly getting a stunner of his own late on. Bolatti – NA – Came on for the final eight minutes in place of Higuain. SOUTH KOREA Jung Sung-Ryong – 6.5 – Made a stunning second half reaction save from Higuain, but that only served to act as compensation for his side after the goalkeeper let a tame header from the same player by him in the first half. Oh Beom-Seok – 5 – A surprising replacement for Cha Du-Ri, the Ulsan Horang-i player failed to stop frequent raids down his flank, most notably in the first half. Gave away a daft foul on Di Maria to allow Messi to centre for Argentina’s opening goal, and it was downhill from there. Cho Yong-Hyung – 5.5 – Looked effective against Greece in the opening game, but Argentina proved to be a whole different challenge. The movement of the Argentine forwards flummoxed the Jeju United centre-back, particularly when they broke at him with pace. Lee Jung-Soo – 6 – Another player who looked assured in South Korea’s opener only to have troubles stepping his game up a notch. At times were there five defenders round Messi, and it still seemed the Asians had no club how to stop him. Lee Young-Pyo – 6 - Much of the Argentine threat came down the right in the first half, but when South Korea had to push on, the left-back was suddenly left exposed. Both late goals came from his flank, though he did stand up relatively well in the opening 45. Lee Chung-Yong – 7 – One of his side’s most threatening players when they got going forward. Pinched the ball from Demichelis to open the scoring and showed adventure in the second half as his confidence grew. Should have had an assist, but Yeom Ki-hun passed up a fine chance. Ki Sung-Yueng – 6 – Sacrificed at half-time as South Korea changed their tactics and started pressing higher up the field. In truth, any of the midfield could have been replaced at that stage as they were all at roughly the same level. The Celtic midfielder nearly struck an equaliser with a long range shot that dipped just over. Kim Jung-Woo – 6 – Active in the centre of the pitch, though not especially effective. His passing was too often wayward, though when he got forward in the middle part of the second half he was not afraid of a shot. Yeom Ki-Hun – 5.5 – Missed a glorious chance to get the Taegeuk Warriors level when played through on goal. Had the 27-year-old a little more composure, he might well have written himself into South Korean history, but an uninspiring performance will now be forgotten. Park Ji-Sung – 6 – Much responsibility was heaped on the shoulders of the Manchester United man in this game, but he failed to respond. Shackled well by Mascherano, he failed to contribute in a telling manner offensively. Poor positioning at a free kick was part culpable for the Argentine opener as he could have taken a deeper position and headed clear. Park Chu-Young – 6.5 – A real workhorse at the pinnacle of the South Korean side, the Monaco forward didn’t harm his reputation with a committed performance in a game in which he was starved of possession. Struck a free kick just past the post that would have made it 2-2. Substitutes Kim Nam-Il – 6.5 – Helped stabilise the Korean midfield in the second half, when he showed a willingness to press high up the field. Lee Dong-Gook – NA – Given less than ten minutes. -- 我對我失控的舉動感到很懊悔,但是如果給我重來一次 我還是會給他一記頭鎚。 -- Zinedine Zidane --

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