Bore draw in Frankfurt By MSN's Matt Ball
Last updated June 22 2006
Good news for England fans: Argentina will not be in your team’s half of the draw for the next phase of the tournament.
The South Americans drew 0-0 with Holland to top group C. The Dutch will face a tricky match against Portugal in the last 16; the winner of that game faces the winner of the England vs Ecuador match.
Argentina will face Mexico, the runners-up of group D. The winners of that match will play the winners of the German vs Sweden game.
The details for the other four last 16 matches will become known over the next two days as the teams in Groups E, F, G, H complete their final first stage games.
Argentina 0-0 Holland
Forget what other match reports might have told you; this was not an exciting game. Both sides rested players who were on one yellow card and nobody who was playing wanted to pick up an injury.
Sure, Argentina’s forwards Teves and Messi looked quite good but this was a game of few chances. The nearest we came to seeing a goal was when a Dutch defender deflected a Riquelme free-kick onto his own post.
Ivory Coast 3-2 Serbia & Montenegro
If goals and excitement were what you wanted then Ivory Coast’s comeback against Serbia & Montenegro was the game for you. The Africans were 2-0 down after 20 minutes but fought back to score three goals, including two penalties, the second in the 86th minute.
Serbia’s goals were scored by Zigic and Ilic. Dindane pulled one back for Ivory Coast with a penalty on 37 minutes. Just before half time Nadj, an early Serbian substitute received a second yellow card and was sent off. Dindane scored his second on 67 minutes with Kalou striking the winning goal with a late penalty. There was still time for Ivory Coast’s Domoraud to get himself sent off before the end of the match.
Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer, who has attended almost every match, must have rued his decision to go to the Argentina vs Holland game. | 
